Good points all around everyone. Thanks for sharing your experience and opinions.
I probably could have provided more background info: I'm not sure the exact percentage of kids that go to college, but its def. not 90%. i would guess more around 60-70%...i hope. So in a class of 30 (yes our school is that small, our senior class may have +-30 kids) 20 might go to college. Its a very rural area with a very high poverty rate (60+% free/reduced lunch last I checked) Lots of it is generational poverty also. The main industries are logging and farming, there is a mill nearby that closed within the last 5-10 years, but that was the big employer around here. most people that make a decent living are traveling tradesmen (lots of boiler welders, as our school has a good vocational program for it) Most people that don't work in those industries work at something like a grocery store, or maybe at an old folks home or hospital nearby, or are unemployed and receive state assistance. Our school is in danger of closing within the next few years due to shrinking enrollment and consolidation talks. This has severely diminished our sense of school pride and identity.
Theres lots of kids who barely ever leave town or the state. a trip to the mall (about an hour drive away) is a really big deal for some of the kids around here. There has also been a terrible, terrible increase in things like meth lab busts in our area in the past few years.
So, education is not exactly held in high regard around here. And the culture of our community is at a real crossroads right now. Also, some kids have had such little opportunity to experience the world outside of this town that they dont know any different and dont see a way out. When you say "there is a whole world out there" they have very little understanding of what that means. I'm lucky enough to have grown up in Boston and moved up here in 8th grade as a kid, so I had some cultural experiences and such that kept me in touch with that type of thing. I knew i would have a life outside of this town when i graduated. It wasnt going to just be "well, i guess ill go work in the woods for my uncle." Over the years, instead of trying to lift kids up out of this hole, our school has jumped right in and enabled this type of culture. We have grown infamous in our region for being low achievers and for "pushing kids through." However, we have a new, experienced, from the area, principal this year and i think he really gets the whole situation and where we need to be going. No more free rides. we need to inspire.
we have a huge deficit of aspirations around here.
Looking back at a soccer coach who was very successful here when i was in high school, i remember that he did a lot of team get togethers outside of practice... trips to the bowling alley...anything. just having fun and spending more time with the kids. keeping them out of trouble and with each other to build chemistry. at the time, i didnt really understand it: "why are you inviting the team to your house to watch the UFC pay per view fight, thats got nothing to do with soccer...God forbid anything would happen, he could get in serious trouble." But the more i think of the state of things in the area, I now agree with a lot of the things he did, although i will try to keep them mostly baseball related outings. Theres a new indoor baseball facility that was just built about an hour drive from us, theres a couple colleges that I would like to bring the kids to watch a game at...things like that. Make their world a little bigger and maybe their hopes and aspirations will follow suit.
Cabbagedad- I totally see where you are coming from and was expecting at least one of those types of responses. I very much respect your views and have been a big fan of a lot of your posts around here. I also do pride myself in coaching not baseball but life for these kids. Thats why i check in with these kids throughout the year, not just when i need them, but when they might need me. But let me pose a situation for you and tell me what you think:
You have a junior who is middle of the road talent wise, a poor-average student, and barely ever has his head in the game, also has discipline issues in school. Freshmen and sophomore year, this student barely got his grades together enough to play basketball, and then they went right back down to crap as soon as the season ended. By junior year, do you keep pushing back practice till 4pm because you have to keep him for academic detentions per team policy to get him up to snuff. now the rest of the team is being effected, grows resentful, and have no reason to not follow suit. "it doesnt matter if i screw around, coach will be there to drag me along" Or do you cut your losses? I hate to say i'd ever give up on a kid, but, there are times when you have to do whats best for the team. This is the type of situation I'm talking about.
I have been regularly checking in throughout the year with ballplayers who have academic or disciplinary issues to see how they are doing. I see them in the hall and give them the little "hey Johnny, how are things coming along this year? keeping it together? we are excited for a big season, I'll be looking for you to work hard to earn that 2b spot. I'm here to help if you ever need anything buddy." If I've been checking in with you and you say everything is fine for 6 months, and then 2 weeks before baseball theres a frantic rush to get your stuff together, you might have to miss the first week to make up, this is a pattern over the years, your somewhat of a liability to the team even if you are eligible...do I even want you on my team?
Think about academics. If a kid is at risk of staying back, the school doesnt just tell them at the end of the year "hey, you flunked, see you again next year" they start meeting with the parents and such as early as Nov.-Dec. to work on getting a student on track. Then when April-May rolls around. the kid has either made their own bed, or rose to the occasion. Thats how I'm thinking of running my team. Not setting the bar at the beginning of the season and lifting kids up over it myself.
Please continue to discuss and share thoughts.