Teachers & Tutors / Coaches
"She's a terrific teacher"..."He's the best footie coach we've had in years!".... Have you ever heard these expressions? Every Australian parent wants their son or daughter to have the instructor who will bring out the
best in their child.
Parents will part with many thousands of dollars, or travel excessive distances, to give their child access to particular teachers and coaches. Others will battle to win a reputed teacher for their child...But what is "it" that makes a certain teacher, coach or tutor, the "one"? How is one enough to inspire a fleet of young Australians to excel that much more than they would otherwise?
Why doesn't every teacher, instructor, tutor and coach have "it"? The answer may lie in what you do for yourself or have taught yourself to find within you when you are having a down or difficult day.
Having mentors and adults who are willing to share the journey of the highs and lows when reaching for goals is rewarding for a child and their charge, and will often protect children from dangerous or foolish risk taking behaviours...
In society, coaches and instructors of every kind are the ones that "glue" our social fabric and communities together and provide us all with the motivation to reach higher.
How often can students come to you as a friend and guide? Is it because your time with them is one of mutual respect? A level of acceptance from teachers, instructors, tutors and coaches, and a good degree of positive recognition, allows young people to feel their self-worth.
The peer pressure a child feels is real. They all need to find warm-hearted guides with level heads who have "been there" to talk to - someone whom they can trust when confronted with puzzling issues in life.
Often coaches or teachers hold different perspectives on a child's world than other adults. They have learnt to leave spaces in their conversations with children and to know instinctively that we learn as much from them as they learn from us.
Young people want the right to make their own choices. They want to be able to feel good about the directions they choose... This means having teachers and coaches who have a sense of the potential of children and being able to understand where a child is coming from. They can often steer a child off a dead-end path, just by getting them to perform their best in the team sports and individual pursuits for which they have natural talents.
Children need to repeatedly hear that they don't have to be anyone other than who they already are.
They want to feel safe and need to really know that they don't need to prove anything to their peers, boyfriends, girlfriends and parents - they need confidence in themselves.
They may need to often hear you communicate your acceptance of them and their ideas.
We are teachers and coaches, not just on the field, but to all family members....Sometimes we speak badly to the most important people in our lives when we are prepared to show courtesy to total strangers. Taking the time to listen to a child enables you to be heard in your own arenas at home too.
Allowing "veg-out" time for yourself, will allow others to grow and recharge too. Some of our best moments are when we are doing nothing in particular except clowning around and enjoying the company of others who can laugh and relax with us.
What if you could distinguish what drives you? and others?
Your Life Patterns assists you to gain insights into the patterns or games that run you, your teams, your students and their parents...It will provide you with stacks of tips for becoming a more fulfilled coach for children and young adults.
