For this week’s spotlight we chose to focus on coaches/teachers. We have chosen to interview Mr. Smith who teaches Health/Physical Education classes and coaches football, as well as boys JV baseball.

• How do you balance coaching after school and teaching all day?
  • I try to balance teaching and coaching by preparing myself the night before. I usually don’t go to bed until I feel like I am prepared for practice, game, or class the next day. Sometimes that involves some late nights because I won’t work on stuff at home until after my kids go to bed. I want to spend time with them when I am home.
• What is the biggest challenge you face while coaching?
  • The biggest challenge I face during coaching is constantly working to make sure my teams are prepared for every situation. I want my teams to feel confident no matter what they see from their opponent.
• What is the biggest challenge you face while teaching?
  • The biggest challenge I face during teaching is making sure that each kid is being instructed to the best of my ability. If I have 22 out of 23 kids understanding a concept during Health/PE class, that is not good enough. I want 23 out of 23 to understand what it is I’m trying to get across to them.
• How do you overcome these challenges?
  • I overcome these challenges by checking in with them every so often. The teaching/coaching term used to be called “dipsticking”, but I don’t think we can call it that anymore. Constantly reflecting on how the previous class/drill/practice just went & adjusting for whatever is next so that every kid can be successful.
• If you had to choose, would you choose full-time teaching or full-time coaching?
  • I would choose full-time coaching. I don’t see myself being a teacher without being a coach.
• Why did you start coaching?
  • I started coaching because I knew I wanted to do something in sports for the rest of my life. Football is a passion of mine and I loved playing basketball & baseball. So, when I was finished playing football in college, I looked back & realized that I had two coaches in my life that made major impacts and so I was hoping that I could have that sort of impact on others.
• How long have you been coaching/teaching?
  • I’ve been coaching for 21 years & teaching for 19 years.