So I am a teacher. This is my third year teaching. It has always amazed me how much "power" comes with the title of being teacher. One look and boom a whole class of 15 year olds gets super quiet. It always amazes me how much power the students give me by respecting the title.
A few weeks ago I agreed to assistant coach the 9th grade girls basketball coach at my school. I was super excited. I love athletics and it was always one of my favorite memories being able to be part of a team. I was lucky enough to grow up in a place where I could play multiple sports. So I was excited to go on this new adventure.
We've spent the pass few weeks doing open gyms and pushing the girls hard. Then we had tryouts on Monday and Tuesday. We finally have a team. It'll be great. I'm pumped and excited. But just in this short span of time I've had a few realizations.
1. The title "coach" has much more power and respect incorporated in it than "teacher"
2. Girls trust girl coaches more than boy coaches.
3. They respect you because they fear having to run.
4. Feeling a part of something instantly instills a sense of belonging and identity.
5. I truly care about these girls and want them to succeed and leave this season feeling proud of being part of the 13-14 girls team.
And today the weight of responsibility fell heavily on my shoulders....we have a girl on the team who is built. She is a solid girl. She has come to every open gym. She hustles. She pushes herself hard. Yesterday during tryouts she got a Charlie horse...today she was getting ready to run and had to sprint to the bathroom because she was sick. I gave her some alone time and then I followed her...I listened to this 15 year old talk about how much she hates her body and how she's sorry that she had to leave. She was so mad at herself. I let her get it all out and we talked about what she's going to do about it. We came up with a plan. And then she walked out of the stall and faced me. I wanted to take that girls into my arms...instead I held her head between my hands and forced her to look into my eyes. I told her how amazing she is and how I know she is going to rock because she is going to work her butt off and she won't give up. And I won't let her.
Then I realized how I really had to follow up. I have to follow up with this beautiful young lady. Being a coach isn't just something to do. It's not just a title. It doesn't just come with respect. But it comes with one of the biggest responsibilities I've had besides being a teacher. No I am not a mother...but I can already see if I mess this up what negative impact I could have....and if I rock it how much if a positive impact I could have for at least one of these girls. I'm excited about this new adventure. I'm going to learn and grow so much and there's no better feeling than that. Oh yeah and we are going to have a great season! They even gave me a donut today :)
