Will High School Politics Make Me Hate Coaching?
May 12, 2010 2:42 PM Subscribe
High School Dance Squad Politics - I'd be the new coach & would like to know what I can expect.
I would like to apply to be the coach for a local high school's Pom Pon Squad. I have spoken with the athletic director and he feels my qualifications are more than adequate.
I asked one of the local dance instructors her thoughts about the position and was told the previous coach (whom she knows personally) quit due to:
Thanks for your help!
I would like to apply to be the coach for a local high school's Pom Pon Squad. I have spoken with the athletic director and he feels my qualifications are more than adequate.
I asked one of the local dance instructors her thoughts about the position and was told the previous coach (whom she knows personally) quit due to:
- infighting among the squad members
- parents who felt their child was entitled to be on the squad or up front during a routine
- parents who would demand that the coach help their child with college scholarships/exposure to college level coaches/whatever
Thanks for your help!
Oh, also, very big right now is spending one class meeting/practice having the students involved work on spelling out their own rules -- they will help you fight back against parental usurpation if they themselves have helped establish rules they feel are fair. You sort-of outline what the rules need to cover, so they're not making inappropriate rules, but when they feel they're being listened to, high school students are pretty good at making up their rules.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:22 PM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:22 PM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
At my high-school, most of the people think that the "Poms" dances are really slutty. You might want to keep that in mind when designed routines.
posted by kylej at 3:30 PM on May 12, 2010
posted by kylej at 3:30 PM on May 12, 2010
infighting among the squad members
Well, there's only so much you can do when they're outside your influence.
But what you can do is schedule the start of training so they don't have long to get there, and get them to get changed quickly (so there's not much time for infighting) then do some aggressive fitness/body conditioning work (so there's not much energy for infighting) at the start of each training session.
If you have much control over how the squad runs, consider if you can structure things to encourage the right behaviour; for example, a team captain selected by a vote of the team would have different incentives vs a team captain selected based on academic performance.
parents who felt their child was entitled to be on the squad or up front during a routine
One option would be to make assignments on a systematic basis, and record your reasons; so for example you could say that front positions operate on a rotor among those who want them; that you selected people for this performance by evaluating how well they knew the routine; that person A missed B out of C practice sessions before now so you weren't sure they would be able to learn the routine in the limited time available, and so on.
For performances where you've got freedom in the format take, you can do a two-part performance; a section of simpler stuff where you use all the performers who want to take part, and a section with the more able members doing more difficult things. For the best acceptance make the advanced section really good - so that both performers and spectators will appreciate that not everyone could work at that level, at that time.
Keep in mind that, for most team members, this will never amount to more than a recreational activity - a bit of fun. Sometimes there will be a less important event and you don't need your absolute best team members in the absolute best arrangement. These can give you a chance to get your less experienced performers a bit more experience.
posted by Mike1024 at 4:07 PM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Well, there's only so much you can do when they're outside your influence.
But what you can do is schedule the start of training so they don't have long to get there, and get them to get changed quickly (so there's not much time for infighting) then do some aggressive fitness/body conditioning work (so there's not much energy for infighting) at the start of each training session.
If you have much control over how the squad runs, consider if you can structure things to encourage the right behaviour; for example, a team captain selected by a vote of the team would have different incentives vs a team captain selected based on academic performance.
parents who felt their child was entitled to be on the squad or up front during a routine
One option would be to make assignments on a systematic basis, and record your reasons; so for example you could say that front positions operate on a rotor among those who want them; that you selected people for this performance by evaluating how well they knew the routine; that person A missed B out of C practice sessions before now so you weren't sure they would be able to learn the routine in the limited time available, and so on.
For performances where you've got freedom in the format take, you can do a two-part performance; a section of simpler stuff where you use all the performers who want to take part, and a section with the more able members doing more difficult things. For the best acceptance make the advanced section really good - so that both performers and spectators will appreciate that not everyone could work at that level, at that time.
Keep in mind that, for most team members, this will never amount to more than a recreational activity - a bit of fun. Sometimes there will be a less important event and you don't need your absolute best team members in the absolute best arrangement. These can give you a chance to get your less experienced performers a bit more experience.
posted by Mike1024 at 4:07 PM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: First of all, its a group of girls that is going to be togther for the entire year. You are not going to be able to stop all of the inter-squad fights that are happening. Please don't go into this thinking that you will be able to control that. You will be very dissapointed.
I think one of the most important things you can do going in, is to set expectations and then stick to them. This will require the administration to back you up completley!!! I would write a contract that lays out ALL the specifics. This includes practice times, audition requirements, performance requirements, attendance requirements, etc., etc. This needs to be written out and agreed to by all members and their parents. This will go a long way in fixing problems with parents. If these expectations are layed out from the beginning, then you have documentation to support you should something come up. If you do some searching online, I'm sure you can find many organizations that already have something like this online. I would check for some of those and copy and steal as needed.
As long as your administration is behind you, this can be a great factor in dealing with many of the problems that you mentioned.
I have taught High School band now for almost 20 years, and every year my handbook gets a little bigger to include things that come up during the year. I have the parents and students sign a contract that specifically states they recieved, read, and agree to the rules that are in the book. This handbook has saved me on numerous occasions.
So good luck, and please let me know if I can be of any other help!!
posted by snoelle at 9:46 AM on May 13, 2010
I think one of the most important things you can do going in, is to set expectations and then stick to them. This will require the administration to back you up completley!!! I would write a contract that lays out ALL the specifics. This includes practice times, audition requirements, performance requirements, attendance requirements, etc., etc. This needs to be written out and agreed to by all members and their parents. This will go a long way in fixing problems with parents. If these expectations are layed out from the beginning, then you have documentation to support you should something come up. If you do some searching online, I'm sure you can find many organizations that already have something like this online. I would check for some of those and copy and steal as needed.
As long as your administration is behind you, this can be a great factor in dealing with many of the problems that you mentioned.
I have taught High School band now for almost 20 years, and every year my handbook gets a little bigger to include things that come up during the year. I have the parents and students sign a contract that specifically states they recieved, read, and agree to the rules that are in the book. This handbook has saved me on numerous occasions.
So good luck, and please let me know if I can be of any other help!!
posted by snoelle at 9:46 AM on May 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Clearly-spelled-out expectations, consequences, and procedures also help, from "parental lobbying will not result in changes in routines but may result in parents being banned from shows" (that's in many school handbooks as a permissible consequence) to "application for college scholarships and rec letters work like this." While some parents are just a PITA, parents are most likely to get involved when rules are obscure and decisions seem arbitrary; when rules and decision-making are clear, they are more likely to encourage their children to navigate the problem alone.
Of course if it's an elite squad, having a developmental squad may help as well.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:21 PM on May 12, 2010