"Drop and give me 20!" No, I'm not that kind of coach.

Weighty work

I've been revising my Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Methods, and in this version I use athletics as a metaphor. I'm amused by this, because anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm uncoordinated, out of shape, and I flinch at anything thrown at me. On the other hand, I enjoy strength training, which is probably where I got this idea.

Here are some of the points I make:

• Gen-ed requirements are like cross-training for the mind.
• Athletes need the sport to be fun, so I include playful learning activities.
• Athletes are training for a goal, so I include forward-looking assessments to prepare them for the real game.
• I think of myself as their coach, but I try to avoid being the mean P.E. teacher. I balance discipline and encouragement.
• As a coach, I have to keep up with new developments in the game.

If you want to see the whole statement, you'll have to wait until it's posted on my revamped website later this summer...  :)