Vent about calling a classroom teacher "Coach"

[Galahad]

How about "El Conquistador"?

 

[tlgoblue]

How about "El Conquistador"?

 

[phisigprincess]

Try having your PRINCIPAL be "Coach." Yeah. Let me tell you. Did we get a new multi million dollar stadium? Yep. Was there preferential treatment of the football players? Yep. Was our principal on ESPN when one of the player went to the NFL? Yep. Did we have a Quad A ranked successful football team? Yep. Did he ever really focus on education? Nope.

 

[HappyMommy2]

As long as the classroom is actually focused on academics, I think calling the teacher "Coach" is not a problem at all. If you think about it, "Coach" is a term that connotes authority and respect. I think "Coach" is a term quite equal to "Mr. or Ms." in its level of respect.

In my high school (late 80s/early 90s) my AP World History teacher was also the wrestling coach. My Honors Algebra II teacher was the football coach. We called them Mr. and Coach interchangeably. They were top-notch teachers and excellent coaches. So what you describe doesn't seem odd or disturbing to me at all.

 

[xCourxCorex]

At our school, all of the sports coaches put their teaching before their sport. Mostly they're called Mr/Mrs XXX, but sometimes, "Coah So-and-so". My dance team coach is an English teacher, and she does some P.E. classes too. On Dance Team, we all just call her Alysia, so in school it was a little weird trying to refrain from the "first-name-basis" thing.

 

[xCourxCorex]

Yeah, I live in Texas. Our high school has a head football coach and 16, count em 16 assisitant coaches. Based on shear numbers they have to teach, and most of them are referred to as Coach xxx. Additionally, our head football coach teaches no classes, no gym, no academic, nothing. His job year round is Football Coach. In addition to his salary he is provided the use of a brand new suburban each year by the football booster club. Last year it was rumored that he was a finalist for a coaching job at another high school in the state and inn order to keep him he was given a raise. The really funny part about that was that the principal of the high school is guarenteed by contract that she will be the highest paid employee at the high school. Likewise the atheltic director of the school district has a contract that says they will be the highest paid employee in the atheletic departmant. They both got nice unexpected raises after we paid up to keep our head coach. Our stadium is state of the art with a seating capacity of 12,000 and a two tiered press box with elevator service. The field is artificial turf with Nikeized rubber and this year we are getting a $650,000 scoreboard with diamondvision replay. Yeah, I live in Texas!

We have artificial turf too!

 

[swilphil]

Our HS Basketball coach (and later Athletic Director) was one of our history teachers. Why? Because he had a Master's in History. He just happened to also be an excellent basketball coach. Just because someone coaches, it doesn't make them uneducated in academic areas.

I agree. I shared a classroom with the head basketball coach. He also taught HONORS English. He was a great teacher and a decent coach. I have known a few coaches who didn't put as much effort in the classroom, but for most of them teaching was their first love. They mainly went into coaching for the extra money.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Freshman dd has the High School Football Coach for History. And yes he yells the info, according to dd.

 

[tlgoblue]

Speaking of yelling, one of my kids most beloved teachers was the footballl coach. In fact, he was probably the single most adored teacher in the school. Yes, he coached in the clasroom too, but the kids all thought that they each, seperately, were his favorite student. He cared that much. Some called him Mr. and some called him Coach. It was hard not to call him coach simply because of his presence. I miss him and so do both DS and DD.

 

[swilphil]

Yeah, I live in Texas. Our high school has a head football coach and 16, count em 16 assisitant coaches. Based on shear numbers they have to teach, and most of them are referred to as Coach xxx. Additionally, our head football coach teaches no classes, no gym, no academic, nothing. His job year round is Football Coach. In addition to his salary he is provided the use of a brand new suburban each year by the football booster club. Last year it was rumored that he was a finalist for a coaching job at another high school in the state and inn order to keep him he was given a raise. The really funny part about that was that the principal of the high school is guarenteed by contract that she will be the highest paid employee at the high school. Likewise the atheltic director of the school district has a contract that says they will be the highest paid employee in the atheletic departmant. They both got nice unexpected raises after we paid up to keep our head coach. Our stadium is state of the art with a seating capacity of 12,000 and a two tiered press box with elevator service. The field is artificial turf with Nikeized rubber and this year we are getting a $650,000 scoreboard with diamondvision replay. Yeah, I live in Texas!

I find this scenario intriguing, to say the least. Is this a public school? How big is it? How are the academics? Do the non-coaching teachers go along with it?

I taught in a high school with about 1,800 students. There were maybe 4 varsity football assistants, plus the jv coaches helped coach varsity. The head football coach had an extra planning period.

 

[missypie]

I find this scenario intriguing, to say the least. Is this a public school? How big is it? How are the academics? Do the non-coaching teachers go along with it?

I taught in a high school with about 1,800 students. There were maybe 4 varsity football assistants, plus the jv coaches helped coach varsity. The head football coach had an extra planning period.

Ya gotta see it to believe it.

Dallas has a new sculpture museum and I attended a presentation about it. The speaker (who was one of the architects) was going on and on about this new innovation where under the grass of the outdoor part, there is not dirt, but instead, tiny ceremic pellets, so that water can drain straight through and the ground doesn't stay soggy. I turned to the guy from work sitting next to me and he said "Our new high school football stadium has that."

 

[Mister Incredible]

Who really cares, if the guy is a good teacher and wants the kids to call him coach why should it matter? Maybe it allows the kids to get more personally involved. It's little issues like these that can drive a person nuts! Let it go.

 

[brerrabbit]

Public school in a district with about 12,000 students. Three Middle schools, three Junior highs, a 9th grade campus and the high school. About 4,000 students in grades 9 through 12. Suprisingly academics are pretty good. We did not rank in the highest tier in the states ranking system but were in the second tier. If you choose the advanced curriculum you get a very good education, if not only so so. We ranked about 8th or 9th in the state for total dollar amount of scholarships offered in 2003 the year my son graduated. Of course that number was significantly boosted by the fact that we had football players given full rides that year to Texas, Rice, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. Also 3 or 4 more went to smaller colleges. We also had a swimmer in DS class that got a full ride to TCU in Fort Worth. The non coaching teachers are somewhat concerned but being in Texas in a small town with it's own school district and it's ownw school board the priorities are a little different. I read where we had 213 new teachers in the district this year and for some reason that seemed like a lot given the size of our district but I'm not really sure.

 

[Beauty]

Yep J.C. has Coach Times and Coach Rowe (and they CAME FROM TEXAS...Rotflol!) They have also made a HUGE difference in our football program but they are good teachers and J.C. loves them.

 

[mrsdon]

I never thought about it untol mow, but in HS all my teachers that were coaches were called coach,
It doenst bother me and I see it as a tilte of respect.
Kinda like calling a Phder DR.
What difference does it make?

 

[MinnieM3]

Because he likes the way it sounds?

What difference does it make what he wants to be called? I'd call my teacher Lord Supreme Ruler of the World if that's what he wanted to be called (I'd while I was doing so). All that really matters is whether or not he can teach.

I agree! It's a title, simple as that!

 

[missypie]

I never thought about it untol mow, but in HS all my teachers that were coaches were called coach,
It doenst bother me and I see it as a tilte of respect.
Kinda like calling a Phder DR.
What difference does it make?

He's not THEIR coach. One is one of the many assistant football coaches...the other is the varsity girls' soccer coach. Why does the varsity girls' soccer coach need a bunch of freshman boys calling him Coach? He'll never be their coach.

But you just made me have an "aha" moment. As I think about it, maybe it is so irritating because they are TREATING it as a title of respect, AS IF IT WERE on the same footing as "Doctor" for a PhD or "Reverend" for a minister.

 

[Planogirl]

I like calling people who coach "Coach." It seems more comfortable than "Mr."

Besides, in Texas it is a title of respect and I see nothing wrong with that. Actually, I'd call all teachers "Coach" if they wished me to!

 

[diznygirl]

In college I had the baseball coach for one of my classes. We asked him what we should call him. He jokingly said, "Mr. Wonderful." Well, that's what we called him!!! He got such a kick out of it!

I agree with the others that it's not such a big deal - even if he's not "their" coach - he's still identified with that title. Some coaches will always be "Coach" to anyone and everyone.

 

[missypie]

I like calling people who coach "Coach." It seems more comfortable than "Mr."

Besides, in Texas it is a title of respect and I see nothing wrong with that. Actually, I'd call all teachers "Coach" if they wished me to!

But why do the coaches of athletics get this title of respect, but the teacher who puts her heart and soul into coaching the Future Problem Solving Team, or the Academic Decathalon team doesn't?