Our Different Roles: Educators, coaches and parents

Our Different Roles
Educators, coaches and parents share a common responsibility to support students in their learning, growth, and respect for others. In my role as Executive Director, I lean on my experiences as a parent, a former educator and my time as a coach to help guide decisions within the Association.  In September, I was approached by Nebraska Coaches Association (NCA) Executive Director Darin Boysen regarding a project to encourage collaboration between parents and coaches in education-based athletics within schools and communities. NCA has partnered with Proactive Coaching to give in-person presentations at schools directly to parents. The 45-minute presentation is called “The Role of Parents in Education-Based Athletics.”  After reviewing the program and hearing positive feedback from multiple Nebraska education organizations, NSEA has added its name to the long list of groups endorsing the program.      

A Different Perspective
I have witnessed firsthand how the landscape has changed for coaches. In my previous role as Director of Advocacy, I worked with members who turned to NSEA for support, whether it was dealing with a parent upset about their child’s playing time or a community of dissatisfied fans voicing complaints to the local school board. This is, of course, based on my perspective. “The Role of Parents in Education-Based Athletics” excels in how it challenges the audience to see from the perspective of the athlete. Boysen even joked that the presentation could have been titled, “Parents: What your son/daughter would really like to tell you about their athletic experience, but probably won’t.” The presentation is based on more than three decades of research by legendary coach Bruce Brown of Proactive Coaching. It requires openness and the ability to momentarily set aside your own beliefs or experiences to understand the athlete’s point of view and consider their reasoning.

Setting Expectations
To head off potential conflicts, the program offers time for parents to reflect on their own expectations of their student-athlete. It then challenges them to align those expectations with those of their son or daughter.
By explicitly setting these to align, misunderstandings can be avoided. Clear expectations means that parents and their student-athlete have a unified approach when it comes to discipline, teamwork and time management both in the classroom and on the field. The program also addresses when it is appropriate to discuss concerns with a coach. Parents and coaches often notice different aspects of a student’s performance, behavior and well-being. Setting guidelines for parent-coach communication means both parties are held accountable for meeting those standards. When teachers, coaches, and parents work as a team, they can help instill a sense of responsibility, respect, and resilience in students.

Our Common Goal
The NCA and NSEA are committed to offering consistent guidance and reinforcement of values like teamwork both in the classroom and on the field. NSEA is pleased to offer its endorsement of this important presentation. I look forward to offering “The Role of Parents in Education-Based Athletics” to our members to create a comprehensive support network between teacher-coaches, parents and student-athletes.