Standard of Practice: Commitment to Pupils and Pupil Learning, Subsection 4 – Teachers provide an environment for learning that encourages pupils to be problem solvers, decision makers, lifelong learners, and contributing members of a changing society.
Program Theme: Effective Learning Environments and Classroom Management
Context
Sitting on my desk at home is an autographed photo of the Earl of March Varsity Girls Rugby Team, 2009 edition. It is a constant reminder of the awesome power that educators, volunteers, mentors, parents, and role models all have on students and to what extent those students achieve success. Following our 2009 season, I firmly believe that some form of extra-curricular activity, whether it be sports or dramatic arts or anything in between, is absolutely essential for students in order to reach their full potential and become contributing members of society. Such activities are the foundations where life lessons can be taught and hopefully applied later on in the lives of these students.
This entry is an example of just how much of an impact we as educators can have. Although I was not yet a teacher while coaching at the time – it was my third year, in a four-year span, as a volunteer coach – I nonetheless witnessed just how much being on this team meant to some of the girls. The influence this realization had on my decision to become a teacher is indescribable, and the moment will forever be the beginning of my commitment to student and student learning, to the notion that they can all achieve what is great. Included in my artifact are some little notes the students left along with the autographed picture, and some key words come to mind as essential life learning skills that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives. Words such as leadership, teamwork, commitment, hard work, and sacrifice all showed me the girls had learned a lot more than simply how to pass a rugby ball and make a tackle. Being engaged in a positive setting and a team sport where there truly is very little role for the individual allowed the girls to feed off that culture and demonstrate it on the field, at home, and in the classroom.
Process
After having coached a majority of the girls on the team for at least two years by the start of the 2009 season, I figured it was about time we try and take the next step. The regular school season in the Ottawa-Carleton Secondary Schools Athletic Association includes only 5 games, with the addition of particular tournaments and trips of individual coaches’ choice. However, as it is a very competitive league, I felt as though we needed to start practices the first week of February and follow a very tight schedule of 2 practices a week during that first month, 3 a week during March, and 4 a week during the month of April. The season ran though the month of May. My total hours involved throughout the entire season, including practices, games, and tournaments, was roughly 110 hours.
Although our practices focused on the skills required to play the game, there was also more involved to being a member of the team than simply getting changed and walking out onto the pitch. The girls were asked to organize a system amongst themselves for ensuring the balls and water came out with us, as well as research into and provide a payment system for acquiring any new team clothing they would want to wear for the season. I also did my best to promote certain notions of teamwork and sacrifice, rewarding those who showed up to practice regularly with more playing time, whether they were my strongest players or not. The season itself was devoted to this idea of teamwork and cooperation, with game day lunches taking place, a team trip down to the Toronto area for a tournament and exhibition game, as well as designated “movie nights” to watch Invictus and an international rugby match for analysis.
Learning
Over the course of the months, I quickly found myself caught up with preparing the team to try and make it to the playoffs, a goal we had set for ourselves. I was constantly adjusting player positions, working on a particular skill set, and trying to limit my frustration at having to review things for those who were not showing up to practice. We actually did not achieve the goal we had set as a team in terms of making the playoffs. However, when I received the gift, I finally realized I had perhaps accomplished so much more with them. This feeling became ever more apparent when I looked back at who these players were when I had first met them 4 years earlier, and who they had since become. There was in particular a group of about 10 girls in grade 12 that year who I know for a fact benefited greatly from being with the team. To them, it meant so much more than simply playing rugby, it had become a key reason for which they even came to school.
A couple of key examples come to mind immediately. The first has to do with one of the girls injuring her shoulder just before our season was set to start. Although she did everything she could, she simply could not get well enough to play, and missed the entire season. However, true to form, the rest of team would not have it any other way than to insist this girl nonetheless attend every game and join the team for the trip down to Toronto. Over the previous three years she had become an integral part of the team, and the rest of the girls were commendable for recognizing that. Her support was invaluable to the rest of the team, and ensured they would bring their best effort every game.
The second example has to do with the leadership exhibited by two girls at the very outset of the season. They set up a mailing list so that every player could be informed of our practice and game schedule via email. The 10 girls mentioned above had become so close that they all exchanged text messages and phone calls to ensure they all knew what was going on. With the organization and initiative exhibited by these two girls, and the motivation it had on the entire team to perform, I did not even have to select or name a team captain. The girls decided amongst themselves that these two individuals would be co-captains and lead us out on the field every game. They showed me skills that no math or history textbook could have taught them. Rather, their commitment to the team was proof the team was learning skills related to positive decision making, decisions that showed they were all destined to continue the process of growth, maturation, and learning for many years to come.
However, the one item out of the entire season that changed my perception on how successful we were that year was a particular comment one of the girls made to me in writing when I was presented with the team picture. It read: “Sticking with rugby is probably the thing that surprised me and my parents the most, but it was one of the best decisions I had made. What I am coming away with from these four seasons is such a great thing. The memories, the life lessons, and the friends. Nowhere else would I have gotten this.” To me, her ability to see some of the traits and skills she had acquired from the game that she could then apply to her every day life meant so much more to me than whether or not we actually made the playoffs.
Goals
Based on this experience, I believe what comes next is a conscious effort to implement certain strategies to make sure students gain the decision-making and life skills that are so crucial to student learning. These are the individual abilities and competencies these students will need most upon completing high school and either moving on to post-secondary education or directly into the work-force. At the time, I was not aware of just how affected students can be by their teachers. However, knowing now just how vital these skills (notably the ability to think critically) are in life, it is imperative that my pedagogy includes methods of ensuring this learning. This ideology fits right in with my educational philosophy as well. Ultimately, my goal is to set the standard expectations and to help students not only rise to meet them, but to exceed them!
Furthermore, what has become apparent to me, after having completed two practicum placements in the Toronto area, is the need for a balanced approach to education. Students need to be involved in extra-curricular activities they can relate to and are interested in. That is where these skills will best be developed as they exist outside the confines of the classroom. Students will be challenged and forced to own up to their actions when participating in such activities, and it is my role as an educator to ensure they come out of the experience a better person.
Footprints In The Mud 