Grow the Game
Realizing that my time at Michigan State is coming to an end has taken me by surprise to say the least. Before beginning the Masters of Education program I was unsure of what kind of educator that I wanted to be. I simply knew I wanted to leave an impact on young peoples lives in a positive way and create an environment that fostered learning and love. My original goals were just that, to find a way to impact young people and help them to love sport and learning as much as I did. While I have had little experience teaching in a typical classroom setting, my time spent instructing in the gym and coaching has made up for this. This love for sport and the impact it can have on individuals lives and outlook on growth is what led me to this degree in the first place.
As I continued my education through the MAED program I began to learn and realize different ways to incorporate other aspects of learning into the concept of gym or a sport. With a background in psychology I am aware of the many different ways the children can be impacted by their peers in both a negative and positive way. However, this program helped me to further understand just how I can incorporate learning tools to ensure that not only are they learning about the curriculum or sport, but also how to leave a positive impact on those around them. I was challenged throughout this program to expand my thinking for new ways to understand how each person learns and understands different concepts. Now that I have the tools to incorporate these growth and building skills into my classroom, my new goal is to primarily create an atmosphere where children feel as though they can fail their way to success. While I am not going to encourage failure, I wish to emphasize to these young kids that not everything is going to go great all the time but its the way that one responds that really matters.
As I move forward following the conclusion of my education in this program, my main goal is simply to spread the love for learning and sport to as many young people I can. A wise coach once told me to “grow the game,” and this is something that I live by. Regardless of what sport I am teaching these young people the emphasis will always be on having fun while learning new things. Sport has given so much in my life whether it be relationships, knowledge about how to positively interact with others, or even something as simple as how to learn new things and apply them. It is my hope and goal that I can spread this love to others while they learn new skills that they can apply to their everyday lives in the future.