Are You a Cheerleader or a Coach?
When you are working with struggling students (with or without disabilities), what’s the difference between being their cheerleader and their coach?
In sports, a cheerleader shows up for the game and says a lot of “Rah! Rah! Rah! Keep going!” She doesn’t have to understand the skills of the game or the challenges that each player faces. A cheerleader doesn’t have to use strategic thinking to help the player make the best use of his/her talents and skills. There is a lot of noise to keep team spirits up, but ultimately, a cheerleader has little impact on any player’s performance.
In contrast, a coach observes each player in action to identify the unique talents and skills.
She gets inside each player’s head to see how he approaches challenges and deals with defeats. The coach holds a vision for what that player could become and holds it up for the player to see. At times the coach may use empathy or tough love to move a player along his evolutionary path. A coach invents all sorts of creative methods to empower the player to see new possibilities for his future that translate into current action.
A coach would never say, “C+? pretty good – you passed.”
A coach would say, “C+? Let’s look at parts you did well and talk about the strategies you already use to study and think. Then, let’s look at the rest to see what you still need to do.”
When I am in classrooms, I love to watch a teacher who has coaching relationships with her students. Those teachers really know their students – observable behavior and social, emotional, mental functioning. Those youth know their teacher believes in them and won’t give up on them. But they also know that they have to take ownership for their learning process. They are clear that their teacher won’t do more or care more for their achievement than they do. Their success is up to them, but so is the victory lap when they pull out a win. Then their coach will celebrate with them. That’s what coaching is all about.
