opportunity lost, niche found

i don't want to dwell on our recent loss in the championship.  instead, i'm going to tell you about a realization i had in the aftermath.

a few families on the girls' team put together an end-of-season soccer party.  the invitation included tales of a large backyard for the kids and hints of alcohol for the adults.  sounds like a good time for everyone, but at the same time, it's a scenario that a young coach doesn't necessarily fit well into.

think about it.. i'm definitely going to be tempted to dominate some of my boys out on the full-basketball-court, but i'm also going to want to drink and socialize.  i'm stuck in the middle.

it would have been easier to skip it, but i decided to go.  i wanted to support the idea of families getting together and celebrating the great season we had, and i wanted make sure my kids were moving on, while showing them that i was too.  i'm of the opinion that it's really good for teachers/students/parents to interact with each other in non-school environments, for the most part.  that's one reason why i've enjoyed coaching so much, in fact..

the girls' coach had truck trouble, so i went solo, showing up about an hour late for a 6-9 party.  during the course of the party i had several really great (and lengthy) conversations with parents on a variety of topics (the championship game, classical liberal arts, soccer, Hillsdale, the Dark Knight, Oberon, etc.) but interspersed with the serious stuff was officiating pogo stick challenges, jumping on the trampoline, playing basketball, drinking beer (just a couple!) and the like.

hilarious, right?

as the party was winding down, i found myself having a conversation with a table of mostly 8th-graders about their future.  specifically, where they were going to high school.  it's coming to the point in the year when they need to decide, and quite of a few of them were considering other schools.

this isn't the first time i've addressed this subject with junior high students.  i'm generally aware of who's staying and who's leaving, and i've even arranged a few one-on-one meetings to discuss their reasoning.  even in a few cases when kids had already decided to leave, i just wanted to hear why, so i can understand the general rationale.

there are certainly legitimate reasons why Scottsdale Prep wouldn't be a good fit for certain kids.  the one i hate to hear is athletics.  we're a really young school, and if we lose most of our star student-athletes every year, it will only serve to re-enforce the cycle.  this 8th-grade class is particularly loaded with talent, and i mean that in both the "student" and "athlete" sense of the word.  we do have a lot of great kids staying, and i'm trying to encourage the movement.  it has to start somewhere.

so back to my realization.  during this conversation i had with them, they were asking me incredibly insightful questions about their decision and how it would impact athletics and college choices, and they were actually listening to my answers.  thankfully, i had decent answers.

the realization?  this is my niche.  i am a nerdy jock, and i'm in that rare window where my students can (not always do, but are able to) both respect and identify with me.  life is about finding your niche, because that's how you maximize your impact.  leverage.  the intersection of passion and ability, all of that stuff.

the best way for me to help legitimize my school is by helping with athletics, and the best way for me to help with athletics is by influencing our junior high athletes to stay.  when i say influence i do not mean brainwash or pressure, but simply to do my best to make sure they are considering all the (correct) information in front of them.  i do realize that persuasivity (especially from someone in a position of power) can be abused.

being a great teacher is a lot more than just what happens in class.  i need to work on nearly every aspect of teaching, but one thing i know is that i care about these students, and this school.   i have a whole-hearted investment in Scottsdale Prep, and i truly believe in the classical liberal arts charter school movement, but it all starts at the individual level.  my niche.