10 Comments

  1. jbrooks1

    I really liked the strategy of having the athlete in the parent-coaches meeting. I agree with you that the players should always hear why they are not playing from the coach, rather than their parents. I think this is a good way to avoid miscommunication between everyone involved.

  2. cboggess2

    Ciaira,

    This was an informative essay for myself as I embark into becoming a first year/ teacher and coach in the months to follow.

    I agree that is important to set clear rules and boundaries when first starting with a team. It is vital to have every athlete on the same page when it comes to roles on the team, and goals that the team will share. I was also interested to learn about the seven C’s that you exclaimed in your research paper. Culture, consistency, and communication were three C’s that stood out to me the most. I too wrote about establishing a culture. It is so vital to the expectations of the team and how the team should carry themselves. The culture then establishes the consistency and communication. Communication is a two way street between coaches and players. Having that open communication leads to the consistency that the team will have.
    After reading this paper, I want to use these 7 C’s for my future team. I would have each player read 7 C’s and explain to each other what this means. This gives them the since of responsibility to carry out these C’s that will help our team become success not just for the short term, but long term as well!

    -Clay Boggess

  3. gperezesquivel

    Ciaira,

    I too read that book by Jon Gordon earlier this summer about winning in the locker room first. Developing standards and a culture as a young first year coach is very important when trying to build up a program. The 7’s are very crucial and I too will develop these in whatever leadership position I will have in the future.

  4. cclewett

    Ciaria, I enjoyed your paper because I could see the similarities between nurturing a rookie coach and a rookie teacher. I remember my first year of teaching as an exciting, and yet humbling, experience. I was so thankful for the veteran teachers who cared enough to take me under their wings, be direct about what matters most in setting up a successful classroom, and also being transparent about common pitfalls. Like you mentioned in your paper, I learned the importance of communicating early with the students/players and parents. The meetings and team-building events before the school year/season are crucial. The way you show your organizational and communication skills will set the stage for the rest of the year. I agree that new coaches/teachers must examine their goals for the year and prioritize them quickly. They must also anticipate the questions and concerns of their athletes, and especially their parents. Setting clear boundaries for parent communication was a great idea! As a teacher, I also went over my expectations about communication, taking the time to show all of the options for reaching me (email, written note, Remind app text, phone call, or face-to-face conference) but never giving my personal cell number. Most parents and their children came to Meet the Teacher night before school started, or Parent Orientation a few weeks later. I made sure to give them a parent survey that allowed them an opportunity to be heard. They were asked to explain to me what their hopes, dreams, and goals were for their student in the coming year, then I reassured them that I had their child’s best interest at heart, too. I learned that parents will often be fiercely loyal to you when you take the time to build mutual respect and establish those boundaries and expectations up front. When you have clear goals, the parents definitely seem more likely to support your instructional approaches and timing.

  5. mlopez100

    Ciaira,
    I thought your paper was informative and shared great insight in what first year coaches face. It is quite easy to compare first year coaches to first year teachers. Both are often thrown in the trenches with limited support and often find themselves drowning in the everyday madness of the job. The first year I taught I was literally on my own. I had no mentor, teachers had been at the school FOREVER, and I found that they were resistant in giving me any kind of support. I soon learned to seek help from one teacher who shared his willingness to create engaging lessons. As we collaborated and share our ideas, we noticed that the students were enjoying our lessons, parents were pleased at their progress, and other teachers were now interested in joining us during our planning time.

    The strategy that most interested me were the 7 C’s. This is such an excellent way to cover the crucial aspects of covering the basics. The 7 C’s, again, can be applied to the teaching world as well. Such a great way to make sure that your athletic program or classroom are successful.

    Your PLC is very detailed. If and when the plc is implemented, I see it being one that will change the outcome of first year coaches. Best of Luck!

  6. ksalinas9

    Ciaira,

    I really enjoyed reading your paper and was very interested in Jon Gordon’s 7 C’s. Being a college athlete and an assistant coach on a 16 u travel softball team I could defiantly see implementing the 7 C’s could not only help a first year coach but even a returning coach who wants to develop and increase growth in his or her program.
    I also really liked the strategy of involving the student athlete in the parent-coach meeting that way you all are on the same page and there is no miscommunication. Overall, your paper was very detailed and insightful. I could defiantly see how a first year coach could benefit from reading your paper.

  7. nacosta4

    I really liked your strategies about setting boundaries between a parent and coach and having athletes attend parent-coach meetings. You pointed out miscommunication is a common issue that could easily be resolved by using the strategies presented. Setting expectations and being transparent is extremely important in all lines of business to avoid any misconceptions later down the road. I thought your PLC plan was well thought out and hope it helps first year coaches!

  8. ephillips8

    Ciaira, I enjoyed reading your paper and not surprisingly there are many similarities between first year coaches and first year teachers and the struggles they face, which is what I researched in my paper. Getting your parents to buy into your system initially will definitely give you the upper hand, parents have a ton of influence on how their children think. I have seen firsthand teammates who loved a coach and bought into the system, but after a while their parents were in their kids ear speaking negatively about the coach and it made the player begin to question all their prior beliefs about the coach, and they actually left the team because they started believing those things that the parent embedded in their head. The 7 C’s is a great strategy to implement for all coaches, even if they are not first year or new coaches. Your action plan was great as well, very detailed! good job.

  9. ataramona

    Ciaira,
    I agree with you that first year coaches, just like first year teachers, need to be prepared for all types of situations, especially parents. From my experience, when a parent isn’t on board with the culture that you are trying to encourage, their child typically agrees. I am a firm believer of pre-loading everything you expect of parents and players during the season; if you preload information, then there is no surprise during season. I also liked how you mentioned that there needs to be a line drawn for when a parent can/cannot contact you. There are some parents that want to be a “coach” or think their child is a “star”, it is very important to delineate exactly what the parent’s role is. I also think it is important to include the athlete in all conversations with the parent; it allows the player to take ownership of their athletic career. As for your PLC Action plan, you did a great job detailing what should happen during the year.
    I enjoyed reading your paper! Well done

  10. jcastaneda2

    I think you picked a great topic. It shows that this is something you are passionate about. I don’t think most people understand just how much work goes into coaching, because as you said, they are not only coaches, but also educators. Most coaches don’t just coach a sport, but teach full time classes as well. Apart from spending hours out of school at practices, games, or traveling, they still need to maintain a certain standard in their classroom. Your action plan seems like a great idea to begin helping and retaining them.

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