Tomorrow morning I am meeting with a mother whose son has, according to the school counselor, convinced her that my workload is too heavy and is the reason for this quarter's failure.
What makes this case interesting is that this particular student is the son of a nine-time NBA All-Star who, just last year, signed a 7-figure contract for a single season. Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly or coincidentally, I was stopped by one of our coaches who urged me to "help the kid out" since dad provides "significant contributions" to our sports program. I assume the "significant contributions" have little to do with manning the snack bar or cheering loudly. I also assume "help out" means something more than providing extra tutoring.
Curiously (take this with a grain of Wiki-salt), Dad had a little trouble during his college sophomore year, was urged by his father to focus on his studies, and managed to graduate.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
1 comment:
It should be noted that the Coach's argument in favor of reducing academic performance expectations of his athlete did NOT concern the athlete himself. Rather, the Coach acknowledged that the youth was a mere vehicle for the financial rewards reaped by the school's athletic department. Such disinterest in the welfare of a student subverts the academic mission.
Your response to the pressure from both the student and the coach will depend on how you view your role as a teacher. Essentially, you must choose between requiring personal accountability or legitimizing the avoidance of accountability in the form of the classic excuse, "...but I'm an athlete."
The first option will preserve your professional integrity while enabling the student to mature and succeed in high school and beyond. The second option will undermine your credibility as a dedicated teacher by inserting yourself as part of the perpetual problem of student-athlete exploitation. The latter would betray your sincere concern for the futures of each of your students.
What kind of teacher do you want to be?
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