The 2009 college football season is underway. The kickoff to the season took 5 days and nights! There were surprises, shocking plays, disappointments, rising and falling in polls – an exciting beginning. As there were major distinctives to each game, I noticed something missing. In not one game did a coach put on a jersey and put himself in the game.
Effective teaching is increasingly being identified as engaging students to learn through interactive research. This positions the teacher as a coach, mentor, cheerleader instead of the one who does the work and distributes it in a student-passive format. In fact, one of the significant challenges of 21st Century learning will be teacher training. Teaching yesterday is not like teaching today. It’s time for teachers to step off the field and take on the roles of coaching and mentoring.
Transition times can be extremely challenging. In fact, I have seen a known negative being embraced more than an unknown positive. Transitions lead to unknowns. One of the things that helps during these unsettling times is having a constant that is not changing. To me, this is the heart of the teacher.
Teaching is a work of art as well as heart! A heart that approaches education as teaching students rather than teaching subjects is the key. Teaching with Aloha puts the students in the middle and structures the education around them.
Attitude during teaching is also key. Students respond to a teacher who ”goes for it” on 4th down instead of punting the ball away. They love teachers who are high-energy and pleasant in character and promote enthusiasm, believing that something good’s just about to happen.
So, I encourage you to step off the field of play. Set the stage for students to thrive. Teach them how. Excite them to try. Support them when they fail. My guess is, if you seriously take on a coach’s role, your students and you will have a winning season!
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