Parents, Teachers, Athletes & Coaches – Blame
Adults, athletes and students trying hard to improve and perform. Trying to move forward a step from where they were yesterday. Challenging oneself, challenging a child, to improve and be better. Using time and knowledge to become more of what we can be.
There are times when our best plans as teachers, coaches and parents just don’t work out for the moment. There are deadlines that sometimes cause us to question ourselves and our children. 3 days before a test at school and they aren’t yet prepared to do well. The day before a gymnastics competition and they don’t have command of their routines like we wanted. These deadlines make us pause and consider our techniques, knowledge and motivation of these children. Then the deadline happens and the child may have a poor day. The cause? The blame?
One test, one competition, does not define a season or semester. One competition does not define the ability of a coach. Nor the dedication of an athlete. One test, or one competition, is a small milestone to check where you are at the moment. No one can expect a child to have 100% great results on every test or in every competition. In fact, a poor test might be the trigger for a child to get more motivated to achieve even better results down the road. A 9.2 gymnast who has a 8.4 poor competition might then work harder and be more motivated and become a 9.5 gymnast later in the season.
Blame helps no one. When a child stumbles we all step back and do a self evaluation. Fingers don’t have to be pointed at anyone. The coaches consider some possible changes, the teachers do too and also the parents in their efforts to help motivate the child to get up and do better. The child also has to self evaluate as they are the one who is more responsible for learning than any of the adults in her/his life. The teacher helps a child get an “A,” the teacher doesn’t actually earn that grade themselves. The coach holds up a team trophy because they helped the athletes win it.
Blame helps no one. We all work together for improvement and progress. We all work to overcome the bumps in the road. Blaming a coach or teacher makes little sense. It slows the progress and the adjustment. Emotions take over and the progress of the child slows and suffers. The child suffers. Adults working together for a goal. Adults helping to make adjustments for the betterment of the child. Adults working with each other on techniques, concerns and an honest “what is best to move this child along.” The teachers, the parents and the coaches working together to create the best opportunity for the child to seize the moment, the week, the month and the season. (Share if you like the concept.) Tom Burgdorf and Gymnet Sports on Facebook
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