Feedback and Evaluation...for coaches

Amidst the discussion of managing school personnel, I was pleased to see the two presentations on the importance of evaluating coaches and officials. Having a chat with my father, a former English teacher of 34 years, after class Sunday, we both noted how important the opportunity athletics provides is for many students who may not shine at academics, but learn about character, teamwork, and becoming self-motivated from their coaches. Having taught in a European school for a year that had no extra-curriculars, it is obvious to me that we seek to educate the whole person and not just the academic side of people. Coaches have an extremely vital role in that process--and the notion that we need to evaluate them and provide them feedback is as necessary as evaluating teachers. For many students, sports push them to higher achievement, which is the underlying purpose of what we do with school. Hearing about the problems in recruiting good coaches and the issues, such as foul language and good adult modeling that sometimes doesn't happen, I think it is important to really view what coaches are doing--and let them know where they can improve as well.