CHARACTER EDUCATION

I use parts of the Bigger Faster Stronger "Be an 11" program.

The book is pretty cool. It has some good inspirational stories in it.

Last year, I had the opportunity to help get a mentor program that we call "Big Buddies" started. We paired up varsity athletes with at-risk middle school kids. The high school kids come over to the middle school once a week and eat lunch with their little buddy and then help them with homework and stuff like that. We hope to expand it in the future to make it mandatory for all varsity athlete to participate.

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Originally posted by: Coach TSB
Coach we used the "coaching to change lives" program this passed year and we really liked it.

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Coach what is this??? Where can I find out more about it?

Check Here

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Originally posted by: Coach TSB
We implemented a 15 positives deal during practice and that was awesome as far as team morale. .

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I would like to hear more about this. We do a 2 week in the classroom deal after the season Coaching to change lives deal. Good stuff. Our kids really really need it. And a lot of them have responded well to it.

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING THAT ADVERSITY BUILDS CHARACTER. I HAVE ALWAYS LABORED UNDER THE PREMISE THAT CHARACTER MANIFESTS IT'S SELF IN TIME OF ADVERSITY. YOU EITHER HAVE IT, OR YOU DON'T. I THINK THAT YOUR STATEMENT THAT FOOTBALL ALONE DOES NOT MAKE A YOUNG MAN A BETTER PERSON, IS NOT CORRECT. I'M SURE YOU HAVE A SOUND CASE FOR YOUR STANCE WITH ALL THE RESEARCH FIGURES, ETC. BUT THE REASON I DISAGREE IS BECAUSE OF EXPERIENCE. I COACHED IN AN OUTSTANDING FOOTBALL SCHOOL FOR A PERIOD OF 8 YEARS ONE TIME IN THE INNER CITY SETTING, LOCATED SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF TWO OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS GHETTO AREAS YOU COULD EVER FIND. THOSE YOUNG MEN, SEVERAL AND NOT JUST A FEW, ARE MILLIONAIRES AND SOLID CITIZENS TODAY BECAUSE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL AND IT'S STRICT DISCIPLINED REGIMENS OF TRAINING AND IT'S OVERALL MICROCOSMIC VIEW OF LIFE IN GENERAL, TAUGHT THEM FAR MORE THAN SOME WELL INTENTIONED ORGANIZED FORMAL PLAN EVER COULD. IT'S VERY TRUE, THESE WERE YOUNG MEN IN A "SPECIAL" SETTING, TO BE CERTAIN. BUT, TO MAKE A BLANKET STATEMENT SUCH AS YOURS THAT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SPENT OUR LIVES IN COACHING FOOTBALL HAVEN'T AIDED IN MAKING THEM BETTER PEOPLE THROUGH THE GAME, I THINK IS TOTALLY UNWARRANTED. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ANY OFFENSE IN ANY WAY WITH MY POST HERE, AS IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PRECIPITATE AN ARGUMENTIVE SETTING OF ANY KIND. BUT, WHEN YOU SEE STREET KIDS COME AND FIND OUT WHAT THE GAME IS REALLY ALL ABOUT, WITH ALL OF IT'S LESSONS TO BE LEARNED, AND THEY BUY INTO THOSE LESSONS THAT ARE VERY MUCH A CHARACTER ENHANCING EXPERIENCING FOR THEM, THE RESULTS CANNOT BE DENIED. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST.

Coach Easton

Coach, it goes without saying that the type of coach you describe above is not a coach! He is a bum! Fully accept your statement of it being the men who teach it, that makes it valuable. But, then again that can be said for just about anything. If you never had calculus, and all there is to learn from is a book, you probably will never really grasp the principles of that particular mathmatical science. It is the teacher who enlightens you, of course.

Coach Easton

RUSHlb49,

GREATLY APPRECIATE, AND RESPECT, YOU TAKING THE TIME TO POST YOUR VIEWS. IN ADDIITON TO MY FOOTBALL COACHING CAREER I HAVE ALSO BEEN AN ORDAINED MINISTER FOR 31 YEARS. I,TOO, SEE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER GRASP THE DEEPER LESSONS OF LIFE, BUT RATHER SURVIVE WITH THE SUPERFICIAL OUTLOOK OF THINGS. NOT ONLY ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD, BUT IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE. YOUR RIGHT, IT IS AN ABSOLUTE SHAME WHEN YOUNG MEN DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TRUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE THAT FOOTBALL AFFORDS THEM. I KNOW THAT COACHES LIKE ME ARE GETTING TO BE DINOSAURS, BUT I AM VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE MODELING OF APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOURS, THE TEACHING OF SOCIALLY REDEEMING GRACES, ETC. AND HAVE WORKED VERY DILIGENTLY EVER SINCE MY COACHING CAREER STARTED IN 1964 TO MAKE THIS A BIG, BIG PART OF MY COACHING REGIMEN. I WAS IN THE HS RANKS FOR 30 YEARS, BUT EVEN NOW COACHING MEN AND NOT BOYS I STILL MAINTAIN A VERY STRICT AND DISCIPLINED DECORUM IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED AREAS. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

Coach Easton

RushLB49,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND THOUGHTS AND WORDS. NOW, WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TO GET YOU YOUNG BUCKS ( YOU SOUND AS THOUGH YOU HAVE STARTED ALREADY) TO CARRY ON THE FIGHT!

Coach Easton

Coach Easton -

One of the toughest things about coaching in high school (at least in my neck of the woods) is that most head coaches have very little say over who their assistants will be. Unfortunately, there have had some ugly incidents between our head coach and one of our assistants. To compound matters, our program is a co-op. The head coach works at the other school and this particular assistant works with me in my district.

What it comes down to is that I don't agree 100% with the way our head coach runs the program, but, hey, he's the head coach! He's the guy who has to face the media, the kids, and irate people in TWO school districts if we don't produce on the field. So, for those reasons, I always support my head coach, whether or not I agree with his position.

When I'm the head coach, I'll get to run things the way I want them run. But, until that happens, I believe that my job is to support the head coach, project a unified and cohesive front to the two communities, and do whatever I can to implement our head coach's philosophy into a winning football program.