In the second installment of Andrea Slavin’s blog on her experience this summer with Coach Across America and America SCORES NY, she writes about what got her interested in the opportunity, what she has learned, and where she hopes to go.
Read Andrea's First Blog Here.
By: Andrea Slavin
As a brief history, ever since I can remember, athletics,
coaching, and teaching have always been a part of me and my life.
When I was in elementary school, I played a large variety of
sports. Some of these included soccer, basketball, lacrosse,
softball, hockey, gymnastics, and even figure skating. When I got
into high school, I narrowed down my activities to strictly soccer
and played on three different teams. On top of soccer, my interest
in teaching was sparked with a club called Leader Corp. It was for
students interested in teaching, who took athletics more seriously.
Within this club, we were given the opportunity to work with a
physical education teacher in the school. We would work with the
teachers, basically taking over their classes with their guidance.
Since being in that club, my interest to become a physical
education teacher sky rocketed. Furthermore, after graduating from
Queens College with a major in Physical Education and having
received my NYS teaching certification, I have never looked back
wishing I had done something different with my life.
September 2011 was the first time that I have ever heard about
Coach Across America (CAA). It was something brought to my
attention by the former Queens College Associate Athletic
Director, Peggy Gioia. She briefly explained to me that the
program was looking for someone who excelled in a sport and had an
interest in working with children. Being a Varsity soccer play and
physical education major at Queens College, as well as a soccer
coach and trainer on the side, the organization seemed to be right
up my alley.
When Peggy told me that I was one of the few students nominated
for the summer position at Coach Across America, I was so excited.
I gladly filled out the application, which led to having a lengthy
phone conversation with the commissioner of the ECC, Bob Dranoff.
After this conversation, I knew that being a part of this kind of
organization would be life changing, for all involved. A few weeks
after the phone conversation, Dr. Dranoff called me with the best
news I could have heard at the time. I received the summer position
with Coach Across America!
While not knowing too much about the organization, I happily
accepted the position. I then came to learn a lot about was CAA was
about, which made me even more excited to begin. CAA works with at
risk children in urban areas, teaching them all kinds of sports in
hopes that they will gain something positive from it. Not only was
I excited about this opportunity for the children, but for my own
personal growth and maturity as well. Little did I know, CAA was
about to bring to my life a new perspective on teaching, coaching,
and life, as well as more of an open mind and heart.
So far, working with CAA and America SCORES NY, I’ve learned
so much through the hands-on experience and the training previously
required to starting the position. The training I had to complete
included a lot of reading. This was one of the most important parts
prior to beginning with the organization. It prepared me very well
for what was to come and also gave me a great understanding on what
the programs, CAA and America SCORES, were about. I read books,
looked through the curriculum, and searched through their many
websites. I learned about the impact that these programs have had
on their kids and their communities and how they plan to help kids
in the future. All of the reading that I did paid off and is still
paying off. The curriculum books, specifically, gave me drills that
work well for the students, however, I also love bringing my own
drills and activities into the sessions. This allows for everyone,
kids and coaches, to learn more than they already know.
What I’ve learned so far, whether it’s about soccer or
about the children, has put a lot of things into perspective for
me. From my teaching/coaching styles to my own personal life,
I’m making strides. This directly affects my kids, because
the more I learn, the more I can teach. The more I can teach, the
more I am making an impact.
One of the most important things that I’ve learned thus far
is that patience, understanding, and devotion is what gets and
keeps the interpersonal relationships with the kids strong. And
keeping that strong interpersonal relationship will allow for all
of the hard work from the coaches and kids to pay off. I’ve
found that when a child loves you and looks up to you, they want to
do well for you. When it comes to my kids, they want nothing more
than to impress me. Because they know if they do, they get that
high five, thumbs up, that wink or even just some simple words of
encouragement.
Working with at risk children is difficult, if you don’t
take a step back and see where these kids are coming from and what
they have to deal with at home. However, I’ve found that
being a devoted coach who cares about her kids is enough to change
these kids’ lives, even if it’s just a little
bit. Someone once said to me, “there is always a reason
why a child acts out, and it’s up to you to find out why.
There is no such thing as a bad child.” These are words to
live by. These are words that I live by.
