Put Me In Coach
Put me in coach. Wait a Minute I am the Coach!
Cross posted at Ed LeaderWeb
I was looking through an old legal pad yesterday and came across something interesting. We were interviewing for a new baseball coach at the high school I worked at in Florida. To give you a little history, I was one of the coaches at that school before I moved into administration. I am a life long baseball fan and know first hand what it can do for a student athlete. It is safe to say I had major buy in and connection to hiring the best coach possible.
What caught my attention were the questions I selected to ask the prospective coaches. They sounded just like questions we use/should use for teachers.
1. What will you do to build and develop your baseball program?
We should look for teachers who build and develop their program. This may be the physics program, reading program, etc…Our teachers need to feel ownership and build their programs as if it were their team.
2. What will you do to create student-athlete’s who are leaders in the school. What techniques will you use to mold and develop their behavior?
This goes without saying! We need to do this with every child. (I guess I did not follow the one question at a time method!)
3. How will you build a sense of community with all stakeholders of your program?
What do we do as educators to make our students feel part of something? We should be asking this in all interviews.
4. What will you do to market your players to colleges and universities?
All educators should be working to get their students to the next level. I am not sure how many of us actively market our kids to the next level. Thinking of it in this context changes things.
5. How will you handle adversities that may arise in your program?
We all need a plan to deal with the unexpected.
6. What is your vision and goals for your program?
All teachers should have a specific vision for their own courses. We can no longer think of teaching as going to class and presenting information. The kids are yours and their success depends on you. Where are you sailing the ship?
I think these questions would make effective teacher interview questions. It will force the teachers to think of their courses as THEIR team. I think teachers and administrators will be much more effective viewing their students as part of their program. Coaches are some of the most dedicated teachers. They spend long hours each and every day building their programs.
At my school, I am the 7th grade administrator. I have and will continue to view the entire 7th grade as my team. It is my direct responsibility to see that they are successful. When I think of my role as an assistant principal, the similarities to coaching are striking.
