Overcoming the Fear of Being More Than a Teacher

If I were to tell you that my first ever coaching experience amounted to only a single goal throughout an entire soccer season, you might question whether the effort was even worth making. I would be the first to tell you, though, that there's no doubt in my mind that its worth can't even be measured.

It’s no secret that ACE Teachers are almost always called on to do more than teach. Throughout my first ACE summer, I was delighted to listen to the second-years’ stories of roles they were thrown into shortly after they began teaching; in fact, helping out with after-school clubs, tutoring students, and sporting the title of “coach” seemed very appealing.

That was, of course, before I actually started teaching.

The first several weeks (months) for a first-year teacher are tough and, at times, somewhat overwhelming. Taking on work in addition to the preparation necessary for daily classroom routines seemed out of the question and, at times, literally impossible. You might imagine my dismay when Coach (the long-time P.E. teacher and athletic director at my school) pounced on me before school even started:

"Middle school girls' soccer."

This combination of words was one with which I never thought I would associate myself, yet there I was on the soccer field in early October. Walking onto the field for our first practice was as intimidating, if not more so, than stepping in front of my students' parents for the first time. But initial anxieties faded away quickly.

Could it be so?

I actually found myself to be less stressed after the practices. Rather than working in my classroom until dinner, I was once again experiencing fresh air while getting to know some of the most good-natured young ladies I've ever met. I wouldn't have traded my fourth graders for the world, but it was refreshing to work with an older group of students who, most of the time, actually understood my jokes. Not only did they gain my respect, but I gained theirs as well, and in doing so I became more than just the fourth grade teacher to them and their classmates.

This was, undoubtedly, a pivotal mindset shift.

We only scored one goal the entire season, but working with the team brought me a sense of belonging to the entire student body, not just those whom I taught. Such a belonging can be hard to come by, but as teacher, I teach not just my fourth grade students but all of the students whose lives intersect with mine within the hallways of my school. Coaching—and the various extracurricular activities that would follow—gave me the amazing chance to delve deeper into those intersections, to form relationships with students whom I would otherwise not get the chance to teach and, more importantly, learn from.

This post is dedicated to all of the girls on the 2013 Sacred Heart soccer team. They each overcame their own struggles to have an extraordinary season. I'll always admire their perseverance, spirit, and effort, and am thankful that they reminded me of the importance of sometimes being a goof.