cabbagedad posted:
About a month ago, he called in that he would miss a practice and called late the next. Very uncharacteristically and against our team policy, he was vague about his reason. I pulled him out for a "discussion". I contemplated going full ream or opening it up for him to explain why his commitment level wasn't where his teammates needed it to be. Thank God I chose the latter. He went on to explain that an immediate family member was dealing with a serious illness. I got a call later from one of his parents asking that I keep things confidential to make it easier for the family to get through a very tough time. So, it has become a very difficult line to walk. My actions with the player, I'm sure, didn't look strong enough to the team and even to the other coaches. But I can't explain the rationale behind those actions due to the requested confidentiality of the family. It's what's below the surface, in this case.
This ...
What a lot of folks not in education don't understand is the external factors that come into play when discipling a player. Many factors can influence things. Everything from does the kid have access to food at home to is the kid dealing with a terminal illness to a parent that others don't know about. These factors can not be discussed with others and at times it may appear that an administrator/coach/teacher, etc. are taking it easy on the kid. Lets not forget that these coaches are educators first. The first question to be answered when discipling a kid, is "whats right for the kid".