My FRAME
Values
There are three core values that I hold true that drive my teaching and coaching: relationships, hard work, and accountability. These values are at the foundation for how I strive to uphold my interactions with my students and athletes that I work with daily. These values serve as principles and daily reminders that are at the core of my values.
Building genuine and meaningful relationships are at the root of these values. For students and athletes, they tend to not care what you have to say until you show that you care about them as a person first. Building trust and connection are the starting points for everything else. Athletes need to feel seen and valued, and that will open the door to true learning, growth and the opportunity to be truly coached. That is why building relationships will be top priority and allow the other values of hard work and accountability to come out as well.
Another value that is part of my FRAME is hard work. We may not always have the most talented team, but we can always control how hard we work. Making that choice to work hard and give great effort is a great equalizer. I preach to my athletes and students that through hard work we can help close the gap when we may feel outmatched. The same goes for when we are in the classroom, some subjects may require more effort and by doing the hard work it will pay off. Regardless of whether we are in the classroom or court I want to push our athletes and students to be the best they can to reach their potential.
The third value is accountability, and that goes to oneself as well as the team. Accountability goes towards taking ownership of the actions and inactions that one is not taking and being held to a high standard. It’s about building a sense of responsibility for something bigger than just themselves. It is not just the students or athletes who are to be held to this level of accountability but myself will also be held to a high level of accountability.
Every year will bring new students and athletes, but these three values will remain constant. Through these values they will be instilled, modeled and made sure to be reinforced through the season and school year. By holding these values at a premium, the students and athletes that we get to encounter can not only perform better in the classroom and court but also in life after we’ve had the opportunity to work with them. When their time with the program or class is done with us, we want them to look back and understand that there was much more than just a subject or sport.
Culture and Background
I come from a background where relationships, hard work, and accountability were highlighted throughout my life. These values were modeled regularly for me growing up and helped shape how I engage with others as both a teacher and coach.
It was instilled in me at an early age that relationships are everything. It is important to have genuine people in your corner who want you to be the best you can be supporting you through the ups and downs of life. By having this type of support shown at an early age it helped shape how I want to show up for others and be that consistent and supportive presence for others.
Hard work was another cornerstone of my upbringing. I watched my parents set goals and demonstrate, that through consistent effort and persistence, hard work will truly pay off. My mother had the goal of going from a teacher to assistant principal and my father being a college head coach. Having seen this, it allowed me to believe I can set goals and through hard work I can achieve these goals. This helped me develop a strong work ethic and allowed me the opportunity to go after certain things. It also allowed the opportunity for growth through goals that may not have been obtained but lessons were learned.
Life Experiences
Looking back at the course of my life, there have been several experiences that helped shape who I am as a teacher and coach. The one that would no doubt be one of the more defining moments came from my basketball journey when I was cut from the team multiple times. Being young and hearing multiple rejections could have turned me sour towards continuing playing a sport that I truly enjoyed playing.
Instead, I chose to use determination and set a goal of improving and not giving up. I had a vision and put in the work and held myself accountable to make sure I was doing what I needed to do to get better. That paid off with making my varsity team and becoming a starter. The journey did not stop there.
Once I graduated high school, the desire to play college basketball was fueled for me. The university where I attended had open try-outs and although I was not the most gifted athlete by any means, I relied heavily on my work ethic, attitude and being a team player. I was able to earn a spot on the team after two intense days of tryouts. It was a true testament to setting a goal and putting worth the values you know you need to do to achieve that goal.
The lessons that I learned through the process of being cut, making teams and earning my spot, are now what I hope to share and instill in the athletes and students that I get to work with. It is important for us to teach our students and athletes how to respond through adversity and this is a great example to unpack for them. I want them to understand that even through a failed attempt a lot of growth can come from it.
Coaching Context
Within my coaching and teaching I strive to hold these values to a premium. The ability to build relationships, work hard, and have a level of accountability are at the core of what I want our program and classroom to be about. These will not just be words that are talked about but down daily for all to be reminded of daily. Relationships will always be where it starts and both students and athletes will know they are cared about as a person first.
Maximum effort will always be one of our top values and at the forefront of what is expected when it comes to practices, games and even expected within the classroom. This standard is established early and modeled consistently, showing that through hard work you can equalize many situations that you will encounter within sport and life. Everything we do comes together with accountability, not just from the coach, but the team will hold each other accountable as well. We believe in taking ownership of our actions and being held to a higher standard. That goes from making sure the locker room is cleaned up, to picking up trash in the building, to being on time for practice and in the classroom and being prepared for both the game and tests within school.
These values, although few, hold much weight in both the classroom and in sports. I believe that these values also have the capability to help transform people in both their personal life as well athletically. They not only help build successful teams but also help prepare them for once our time is done with them.