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Philosophy Statement
Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to be a coach or teacher. Being a coach or teacher has many benefits, but also challenges. Through these professions, I will be able to help students grow mentally, physically, and hopefully spiritually. One thing that I think is a huge reward is that being a coach and teacher means that I will get to work with students in the most influential periods of their lives. My classroom or office can be a safe place for students if they are going through a hard time in their lives. In these professions, I will be able to teach students about life, sports, and education. One thing that I think can be a big challenge in the classroom or on the court is making connections with students. Relationships with teachers are important for students’ efforts to understand themselves. They help provide students validation and reflection (Bernstein, 2004). If I do not have good relationships with the students they may not listen to what I have to say in the classroom or on the field. If I could impact just one students life for the better, then that would make teaching and coaching worthwhile and so incredibly valuable and rewarding. So many people believe that God is dead in schools. As long as there are Christian coaches and teachers, He will never be dead in the public school system. As a Christian coach and teacher, I can live out the love of God and be the hands and feet of Jesus at the school that I work in.
As a teacher, I am prepared to teach English and I would like to coach basketball. My mission as a teacher and coach is to teach and coach students to the best of my ability, while also showing them the love of Christ in all that I say and do. My students and athletes should learn a love for education, reading, writing, and for basketball. My students should gain classroom knowledge, but also knowledge about the world outside of school. A teacher’s goal should be to nurture curiosity, strengthen resiliency, and cultivate appreciation for the world around us so that the students can thrive (Kumari, 2016). As a teacher, I want my students to be well-educated thinkers, writers, and analyzers. I will have specific writing assignments based on their life experiences and based off of assigned readings throughout the school year. My students will learn to not only read the words in a book, but also be able to comprehend the themes of the book and be able to have educated discussions about the assigned readings. As a coach, I want my players to learn to be hard working, encouraging, and team-centered. I want to teach my players that winning is important, but it is not the most important thing. Through out my practices, I will constantly be encouraging them, push them to give 100 percent the entire practice, and to work hard throughout the practice. I will teach them that to have a winning culture, they must first learn to put their teammates first. When the team wins, I will celebrate with them, and when the team loses I will encourage them and as long as they gave their all and never gave up then I will tell my athletes that I am proud of them and could not ask for anything more out of them. The background of students could be anyone from lower, middle, or upper class, and my students and athletes could be of any race. However, my objectives, for the most part, will be the same throughout. I will always expect the same from my students. I believe that if I expect a lot of my students and athletes then they will succeed more than they would if I did not expect much out them and did not believe in them. I want my students and athletes to never be afraid to ask questions or be afraid to fail. I want them to have confidence in themselves in all they do and I want them to know that I have confidence in them as well.
Galbraith & Merrill (2012) say that effectiveness in the classroom is a very personal, highly complex, and is always changing process involving a multitude of different skills and techniques. For me, there are a few different ways that I can tell if I am meeting my objectives, being an effective teacher, and if the students are learning. The first way is that if 80% of my students are passing the course and assignments and understanding what I am teaching, then I am succeeding in teaching my class. However, my goal will be to have a 100% passing rate. Another way that I can tell if my students are learning is if they are enjoying what is being taught and take an interest in what is being taught. If students enjoy what is being taught and if they are learning in an interesting way, then they have a higher chance to absorb and learn the material. As a coach, I can tell that my athletes are learning and that I am meeting my objectives by how my athletes treat one another, how they view winning, how hard working they are, by how much they encourage each other, and by how much confidence that they have in themselves. I think that student evaluations are very important in helping me become a successful teacher. Whenever students fill out evaluations, I will take them very seriously. I will look at the evaluations to see what my students think that I should improve on, what they liked and disliked about the class, and what activities they got the most out of. I will improve in where my students think it is necessary, I will add new material or activities to make the classes more enjoyable for students, and I will continue to do the things that my students indicated were beneficial for the class. Menhart (2012) says that collecting materials from colleagues, workshops, and conferences can help in achieving curriculum requirements and goals. I will use what I collect to make the experience for every student as enjoyable as I can. I have had one teaching presentation videotaped before, and it was very helpful to go back to look at. What I learned was that sometimes I can sound somewhat bored while presenting and that it sounds like I am reading for the majority of the time. These are two things that I must change when I am teaching. It is important for me to make the class interesting and enjoyable for my students and to make it seem like I know what I am talking about and not only reading.
My faith is Jesus Christ has a tremendous impact on how I will teach and coach. Because I have a personal relationship with the Lord, my moral and ethical standards will be pretty high. Temli, Sen, & Akar (2011) stated that effective education also includes a moral education. I will expect my athletes and students to have good morals. My students will be required to respect each other, be held accountable for their actions, make good decisions, and to think before they act. I will require them to use wholesome language and refrain from derogatory remarks. When it comes to my athletes, they will respect the other team, they will not gloat or boast when they win a game, and they will have good sportsmanship. My faith relates to my work ethic because in everything that I do, I will do it to the best of my ability and for the glory of God. I want to represent Him in all that I do, so I must work hard and give 100% in all that I do. God gave me my teaching and coaching ability and I cannot let that go to waste. I will also expect my athletes and student to work their hardest and do everything to the best of their ability. Because I have a relationship with the Lord, I will always respect others, put God and my team before myself, I will be Christ-like in all that I do, and I will be a Christ-like example for my players and students. I could be the only Christian authority figure in their life and I must make sure that I am setting a good example of what a Christian coach and teacher looks like. I do not want to be a teacher and a coach that happens to be Christian, I want to be a Christian man that teaches and coaches. Being a Christ follower is the number one priority in my life and everything that I do must be through Him and for Him. Being a Christian teacher and coach means that I let the Lord use me for His will, for His plan, and for His glory.
Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to be a coach or teacher. Being a coach or teacher has many benefits, but also challenges. Through these professions, I will be able to help students grow mentally, physically, and hopefully spiritually. One thing that I think is a huge reward is that being a coach and teacher means that I will get to work with students in the most influential periods of their lives. My classroom or office can be a safe place for students if they are going through a hard time in their lives. In these professions, I will be able to teach students about life, sports, and education. One thing that I think can be a big challenge in the classroom or on the court is making connections with students. Relationships with teachers are important for students’ efforts to understand themselves. They help provide students validation and reflection (Bernstein, 2004). If I do not have good relationships with the students they may not listen to what I have to say in the classroom or on the field. If I could impact just one students life for the better, then that would make teaching and coaching worthwhile and so incredibly valuable and rewarding. So many people believe that God is dead in schools. As long as there are Christian coaches and teachers, He will never be dead in the public school system. As a Christian coach and teacher, I can live out the love of God and be the hands and feet of Jesus at the school that I work in.
As a teacher, I am prepared to teach English and I would like to coach basketball. My mission as a teacher and coach is to teach and coach students to the best of my ability, while also showing them the love of Christ in all that I say and do. My students and athletes should learn a love for education, reading, writing, and for basketball. My students should gain classroom knowledge, but also knowledge about the world outside of school. A teacher’s goal should be to nurture curiosity, strengthen resiliency, and cultivate appreciation for the world around us so that the students can thrive (Kumari, 2016). As a teacher, I want my students to be well-educated thinkers, writers, and analyzers. I will have specific writing assignments based on their life experiences and based off of assigned readings throughout the school year. My students will learn to not only read the words in a book, but also be able to comprehend the themes of the book and be able to have educated discussions about the assigned readings. As a coach, I want my players to learn to be hard working, encouraging, and team-centered. I want to teach my players that winning is important, but it is not the most important thing. Through out my practices, I will constantly be encouraging them, push them to give 100 percent the entire practice, and to work hard throughout the practice. I will teach them that to have a winning culture, they must first learn to put their teammates first. When the team wins, I will celebrate with them, and when the team loses I will encourage them and as long as they gave their all and never gave up then I will tell my athletes that I am proud of them and could not ask for anything more out of them. The background of students could be anyone from lower, middle, or upper class, and my students and athletes could be of any race. However, my objectives, for the most part, will be the same throughout. I will always expect the same from my students. I believe that if I expect a lot of my students and athletes then they will succeed more than they would if I did not expect much out them and did not believe in them. I want my students and athletes to never be afraid to ask questions or be afraid to fail. I want them to have confidence in themselves in all they do and I want them to know that I have confidence in them as well.
Galbraith & Merrill (2012) say that effectiveness in the classroom is a very personal, highly complex, and is always changing process involving a multitude of different skills and techniques. For me, there are a few different ways that I can tell if I am meeting my objectives, being an effective teacher, and if the students are learning. The first way is that if 80% of my students are passing the course and assignments and understanding what I am teaching, then I am succeeding in teaching my class. However, my goal will be to have a 100% passing rate. Another way that I can tell if my students are learning is if they are enjoying what is being taught and take an interest in what is being taught. If students enjoy what is being taught and if they are learning in an interesting way, then they have a higher chance to absorb and learn the material. As a coach, I can tell that my athletes are learning and that I am meeting my objectives by how my athletes treat one another, how they view winning, how hard working they are, by how much they encourage each other, and by how much confidence that they have in themselves. I think that student evaluations are very important in helping me become a successful teacher. Whenever students fill out evaluations, I will take them very seriously. I will look at the evaluations to see what my students think that I should improve on, what they liked and disliked about the class, and what activities they got the most out of. I will improve in where my students think it is necessary, I will add new material or activities to make the classes more enjoyable for students, and I will continue to do the things that my students indicated were beneficial for the class. Menhart (2012) says that collecting materials from colleagues, workshops, and conferences can help in achieving curriculum requirements and goals. I will use what I collect to make the experience for every student as enjoyable as I can. I have had one teaching presentation videotaped before, and it was very helpful to go back to look at. What I learned was that sometimes I can sound somewhat bored while presenting and that it sounds like I am reading for the majority of the time. These are two things that I must change when I am teaching. It is important for me to make the class interesting and enjoyable for my students and to make it seem like I know what I am talking about and not only reading.
My faith is Jesus Christ has a tremendous impact on how I will teach and coach. Because I have a personal relationship with the Lord, my moral and ethical standards will be pretty high. Temli, Sen, & Akar (2011) stated that effective education also includes a moral education. I will expect my athletes and students to have good morals. My students will be required to respect each other, be held accountable for their actions, make good decisions, and to think before they act. I will require them to use wholesome language and refrain from derogatory remarks. When it comes to my athletes, they will respect the other team, they will not gloat or boast when they win a game, and they will have good sportsmanship. My faith relates to my work ethic because in everything that I do, I will do it to the best of my ability and for the glory of God. I want to represent Him in all that I do, so I must work hard and give 100% in all that I do. God gave me my teaching and coaching ability and I cannot let that go to waste. I will also expect my athletes and student to work their hardest and do everything to the best of their ability. Because I have a relationship with the Lord, I will always respect others, put God and my team before myself, I will be Christ-like in all that I do, and I will be a Christ-like example for my players and students. I could be the only Christian authority figure in their life and I must make sure that I am setting a good example of what a Christian coach and teacher looks like. I do not want to be a teacher and a coach that happens to be Christian, I want to be a Christian man that teaches and coaches. Being a Christ follower is the number one priority in my life and everything that I do must be through Him and for Him. Being a Christian teacher and coach means that I let the Lord use me for His will, for His plan, and for His glory.