Posted on 10/28/2005 6:03:03 AM PDT by Cagey
Edited on 10/28/2005 6:22:38 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
HOLMDEL, N.J. -- The head coach of the Holmdel High School football team, Joe O'Connor, has resigned along with all nine assistant coaches over what O'Connor says was an undermining of his authority by the school administration.
O'Connor quit Monday, saying the administration had reinstated a player after the coach made him leave the team over discipline problems. On Wednesday, nine assistant coaches decided to resign from the team as well in a show of solidarity with O'Connor.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Nicely said.
Bump for YOU for saying it.
Regards,
And all these years I thought that CBA recruited based on looks.(sigh)
Should read: I can't even imagine how many non-essential employees are in that school.
BINGO. WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
At one point they actually cut an advanced english class and hired a 'feeling's teacher.
The teachers are so ill equipped to teach that they send 6,7 & 8th graders to the highschool for math.
Cost of bussing and time wasted.....priceless.
Well, I predict he will be sitting alone in other places as well.
Obviously, this kid didn't say anything derogatory about gays.
Also, it's not like they "only" coach. They also teach health, home economics, and other classes all day long. Coaches always teach classes too, so it's not like they're sitting at their desk going over plays and film from the last game. If coaches weren't teaching those classes, the districts would be having to spend even more money to hire teachers to teach all those classes that the coaches teach, in addition to being coaches.
My high school I went to had nearly 4,000 students in it. So did the one up the street from it in Alief Texas, just outside Houston. They were the only two HS's a the time, and both had HUGE football programs because of the massive student bodies, and it was a big rivalry. The choirs and bands even got into it with each other. The football program at my school had over a dozen football coaches because of the total number of players they had. So a HS in this day and age having 10 total football coaches, for all three teams, is not unusual or excessive. I'm sure they were all teaching classes also, in addition to their coaching duties.
ping
I like the idea of progressive discipline policies, when the rules are very clear, i.e.: 1st offense - laps, 2nd offense - sitting out a half, 3rd offense - sitting out a game, 4th offense - off the squad. In my kids school many teachers make students and parents sign an agreement at the begining of the year, clearly stating expected class behavior and progressive actions for violations of class rules.
(Unless the offense is so eggregious that the student needs to be removed right way.)
The article gives little information about what preceeded the last problem and what punishments were given out before. Perhaps the coach did not document previous issues with the student?
The whole thing sounds unfortunate. Seems like the school was (is?) has some post-season games on the line. Bad time for the coaches to leave. Must have been hard for the parents of other players, particularly seniors to support him.
This school district and the team haven't seen the end of this yet. I've coached at the high school level and usually it is the parents that are the problem.
My brother-in-law was the head football coach in an upscale small town.
The parents (wealthy contractor) of one of his players complained that their little johnny wasn't getting enough playing time... to the princple (1st year female princple).
The principle requested that B-I-L sit down with the parents and her to discuss it.
B-I-L refused.... said it was his decision as to how the team was run. The principle then demanded it. B-I-L resigned.... both from coaching (immediately) and the district (at the end of the year - he was an english teacher).
Other parents of players tried to talk him into coming back... no way. The parents of the player in question pulled him from the district a couple of months later... no matter what the district did it wasn't enough for them.
B-I-L had taken over a troubled (non-winning) program and turned it around... and it went back downhill after he left. He attributes his decision to the administration failing to support their staff... if it worked that way for football, it would work that way for the classroom.
He had a tough time getting another teaching job - finally got on 45 minutes away with a $20k pay cut. But the students are well behaved and good to work with.
In a classroom, this method works. In competitive football, it does not work. There is definately more to this story. My guess is the kid must have really been a locker room cancer or the coaches would not have all left.
Can someone tell me why a high school football team needs 9 assistant coaches? I'm impressed that they all backed the man, but wow I hope I'm not paying for these guys.
They became coaches because they were Jocks. They didn't like other classes when they were in school.
That is precisely why the students don't learn anything about History, Geography, Economics, or any other subjects the Jocks didn't like and still don't like.
I know, 50 years ago it was the same in our school.
But I think they are all parent's of players on the team.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. I think the coaches were trying to force the administration to back the coach, and it didn't work.
But to hurt all the other kids on the team over the actions of the principle bothers me. If my son was on the team, and had a chance for a scholarship, I would be pretty upset of the coach and assistants all quit (violating a term of their contracts which required 60 days notice) right before a must-win game.
I'd be upset at the principal as well, but since I can't do anything about what SHE did I'm stuck with trying to help my son's team win so his chances of a career isn't shot.
In the pros, if a player is suspended they can appeal and their suspension is waived pending that appeal. I think that would have been something that could have been done here. The coach could have simply refused to play the player.
The player may deserve to be kicked off, but I think a player deserves to have a "day in court" before punishment.
"The "progressive" discipline policy should not apply to athletics."
While I fully support the coaches, I think the term "progressive" here probably means "stepped", not "liberal".
Perhaps you are correct. The coach might have accepted the offending player back onto the squad but given him zero playing time. It would have had the same effect on the player as punishment but it would also send a quiet signal to prospecting colleges that a stud who is missing from play might be uncoachable or a behavior problem.
***At our Middle School the kids get 5% extra credit in English/Reading if they attend the English/Reading teacher's girls volleyball games. ***
That teacher needs to be fired.
"No different in any community where the athletes are privileged.....to cut class, fail tests, be disruptive to teachers, ignore the coaches rules."
When I taught for a particular district in upstate New York, athletes were well behaved. Our coaches would bench them in a heartbeat if a teacher reported poor classroom grades or behavior. It was when the season was over they became a problem. Things have changed for the worse since then, but our principal was also hard core.
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