Last night I attended a sports banquet. The teams celebrated had worked together starting with youth sports in grade school and throughout high school. Each season they started conditioning and working out for the season right after the last game of the former season. Many coaches supported these players, both volunteers and paid coaches. Several of the coaches also serve as teachers and administrators in the school system.
About 100 athletes sat in the theater listening to story after story about athlete and coach commitment, parent and community support. The coaches used the night as a time to motivate, guide, inspire and celebrate, and the students were listening. I was struck by the coaches' and athletes' passion, teamwork and dedication throughout the night.
One coach who was leaving the program for a short time to focus on family, shared thoughtful insights and remarks with the players. Then he gave a special gift to the senior players, players he had coached from grade school to 12th grade. He gave them an envelope filled with money, money that he wants them to use to set up an annual tradition of donating to a special charity of their choosing--he noted that this might be one way that they keep their special sense of team and friendship alive throughout the years.
Throughout the evening I was reminded of the way that so many of these athletes had presented as young grade school students when the sometimes too still and uniform routine was frustrating for little boys and girls who wanted more time to play, run and express themselves, and I was so happy that all of these students were surrounded by multiple mentors who made it their job to go beyond the typical expectations to nurture these students with care, time and passion.
Schools are much more than academic skills, and when schools have community support and make it their business to educate the whole child amazing results occur. Also when schools make space to encourage, mentor and motivate students' passions, students become engaged and responsive. I can't thank these coaches and community members enough for supporting a sport and team that both my own child and my former students could turn to for friendship, encouragement, challenge and care. This is an important aspect of school, one that our country needs to prioritize and recognize.
