I took the position of assistant coach for my son’s soccer team this year. I know the team needed the adult help. Unfortunately, I really do not believe that I am – in any way – qualified for the job. About all that I understand about the sport of soccer is that the ball must be kicked into the opposing team’s goal. There are many nuances and strategies that I do not understand. But, I needed the volunteer hours and the team needed the supervision and guidance. It has been a fun season.

Our team was entered into a tournament about an hour away. My son and I packed up our van and headed out. The one aspect of tournaments for the adults is the chance to sit together and visit. At home games we are too busy making sure that fields have refs, there’s some one in the concession booth, and picking up garbage – all the regular “hosting” duties. This was the first time I got to watch the other teams from our town play, and to see my colleagues in coaching.

I noticed a very striking thing in coaches. Most of them paced up and down the sidelines constantly hurling suggestions at the players. “Kick it!” “Get it!” “Take that person behind you!”I smiled to myself. Do the kids hear these calls? Do they actually change how they are playing? Is it distracting them?

The coach that I work with are fairly quiet. We’ve never talked about having a different style of coaching. It is a manner that I’ve had with any team that I’ve worked with in volleyball, basketball or curling. I would rather be in the players’ faces during the practice. During the game it was up to them to do their thing. If I taught them anything, my players would be able to do it when it mattered.This is forced on me in curling. It is against the rule for the coach to give the players any help during a game – except at time outs. Volleyball used to be similar to this. The coach couldn’t leave the bench. A change in rules a few years ago has let the coach stand at the court side and call out plays not unlike a basketball coach.

So what if teaching was like this? I could wander all around during class making my students work on their corrections. Then, when the government exam comes I would be allowed to wander along the edges of the room. “Square that radius!” “Label those graphs!” “Recheck those calculations!”I hope I’m missing something about coaching or even about teaching. It feels like they should be similar.

I still feel sorry for my soccer team. I wish they could have had some one with something to teach them about the sport. Just like I hope students in school get teachers who know their stuff.