HAVING AN ACADEMIC PLAN FOR SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

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Anne Atkinson
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1 HAVING AN ACADEMIC PLAN FOR SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS David Collenback O Connor High School As a graduate of Trinity University and former athlete, I understand the importance of an education for high school athletes. Trinity is a division III university with high academic standards and is consistently listed as one of the top academic universities in the United States. At O Connor, we want student athletes to receive a high school education, not just a degree. In the 1980 s, the public became concerned about declining test scores and literacy rates among Texas school children. In 1983, Governor White appointed Dallas businessman Ross Perot to head a commission to study public education reform in Texas. Before then, the last significant reform took place in the late 1940 s. The No-Play, No-Pass provision went into effect in It is better known as House Bill 72. Texas was the first state to pass such a law. The provision barred students from participating in extra curricular activities for six weeks if they failed a class. It has been reduced to three weeks, if the student is passing all classes at the end of the day on the third week. However, I would prefer a grade point average rather than simply passing all classes. My reasoning comes from a student athlete who was in the special education program and struggling his sophomore year. With our academic plan, he was able to pull all his grades up to A s and B s with the exception of one 68. His beginning grades were C s, D s and F s. The 68 began at a grade of the upper 30 s. This student athlete succeeded in getting his grades up but was still ineligible. I feel a change is needed in the grade point average bill to create a better plan. Here at O Connor High School, we have a plan for academic success for our athletes. I would like to share with you some of our ideas. Philosophy of Athletics in Education It is our contention that interscholastic sports should be an integral part of the school curriculum. They are not an end unto themselves. They must be inherently educational and conform to the goals, values, and stated purpose of the school district. As coaches, we concern ourselves with stimulating each student athlete so that he/she will want to secure the finest education possible. We must demand a commitment to excellence and to winning, not

2 only in athletics, but to every endeavor in life which he/she considers worthwhile and meaningful. He/She learns that dedication, sacrifice, and hard work are necessary ingredients in performing any task that will lead to the attainment of a valued goal or a life objective. The student athlete in our program is in a favorable and unique position. He/She is a part of a team and must learn to work and function effectively and cohesively with a wide variety of personalities. Lasting and treasured friendships will be nurtured and developed. He/She will also represent our school district in a very visible role, and we will encourage him/her to conduct himself/herself with character, poise, integrity, honesty, and humility. In our relationships with student athletes, we will always be aware of the tremendous influence our position projects, for good or bad. Parents entrust their most dear investments to our charge. We teach by example. It is our goal and desire that the young men and women who have participated under our leadership are better and more decent people for having done so. We will never place the value of a win above that of instilling the highest desirable ideals and character traits in our student athletes. Rules for the O Connor Panther Academic Game 1. Always be on time. This cannot be overemphasized. Nothing causes a teacher to turn off a student faster than a late arrival. 2. This is not a team endeavor; therefore, never sit next to another player in any of your classes. 3. Remember that in any classroom the teacher is the absolute authority, so follow his/her rules. Show respect at all times. Be a leader in the classroom. 4. Slovenly appearance is held against an athlete to a greater degree than against other students. Dress neatly shoes tied, no caps in the building, hair neat and clean, clean shaven, and of course, no earrings. 5. Before class starts, make sure you have your materials, make sure that your book or notebook is open, and you have a pen or pencil ready to write. 6. Once class starts, keep your mouth closed unless you are asking or answering a question, or are taking part in a teacher led discussion. 7. Never prepare to leave before the end of class. Closing of books, zipping of bags, etc., are all between class activities. 8. Make sure that you turn in all work assigned on time and make arrangements for any assignments or papers due before you leave. This should be done at least two class days ahead of the absence. 9. JUST DO IT!! Getting an education does require work something that you can do if you apply yourself. 10. See teachers and receive tutoring before school. 11. Everyone who has a 74 or below will be required to attend our weekly study hall on Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 8 AM. Ten Ways to Study that Work A new school year with all its possibilities and promises, lies ahead for us all. The grades you make this year can pay you well in helping you enter the college you want, in bringing you nearer to the

3 lifework of your choice, perhaps in obtaining a college scholarships. At this moment the year s ahead. Make the most of it! Efficient ways of study are not a matter of neuroscience. Yet, psychologists have been working for years on the best ways to study. Researches on the best methods of study have been conducted at top universities including Stanford, Ohio State, and Chicago. At these prestigious universities, careful experiments with groups of students have shed light on the best ways of studying. By using these suggestions, you should understand new knowledge better, retain information longer, and save countless hours of study time. The suggestions that follow are based on the results of these experiments: 1. MAKE AND KEEP A STUDY SCHEDULE. Set aside certain hours each day for homework. Keep the same schedule faithfully from day to day. The amount of time needed to study will vary with the individual student and the courses on his schedule. 2. STUDY IN A SUITABLE PLACE THE SAME PLACE EACH DAY. Is lack of concentration your study problem? Experts tell us that the right surroundings will help you greatly in concentration. Your study desk or table should be a quiet place, as free from distractions as possible. You will concentrate better if you study in the same place every day. 3. COLLECT ALL THE MATERIALS YOU NEED BEFORE YOU BEGIN. Your study desk or table should have certain standard equipment paper, pen, pencil, an eraser, and a dictionary. For certain assignments you ll need a ruler, paste, a compass, or a pair of scissors. With all your materials at hand you can study without interruption. 4. DON T WAIT FOR INSPIRATION TO STRIKE IT PROBABLY WON T. We can learn a lesson about studying from observing an athlete. Can you imagine seeing an athlete who is training for a mile sitting on the field waiting for inspiration to strike before he starts to practice? He trains strenuously day after day whether he wants to or not. Like the athlete we get in training for our tests examinations by doing the things we re expected to do over a long period of time. 5. A WELL-KEPT NOTEBOOK CAN HELP RAISE YOUR GRADES. Guidance counselors tell us that there is a definite relationship between the orderliness of a student s notebook and the grades he makes. Set aside a special section for each of the subjects on your schedule. When your teachers announce important dates for tests and examinations, you ll find how priceless orderly notes can be. 6. MAKE A CAREFUL RECORD OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. Why lose time phoning all over town to find someone who knows the assignment? Put it down in black and white- in detail in a second place in your notebook. Knowing just what you are expected to do and when you are expected to do it is the first long step toward completing important assignments successfully. 7. USE TRADE SECRETS FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDY. Flash cards are magic helpers. On the front of a small card you write an important term in history, biology, English, etc., and on the

4 back, a definition or an important fact about that term. Carry your flash cards with you. At odd times take them out and ask yourself the meaning of the term. If you don t know, turn to the other side and review the answer. The divided page is another trick of the study trade. Make a dividing line down the center of a sheet of notebook paper. Then write important questions on the left side and the answers on the right. Use the self-recitation method of study. Cover the right hand side and try to give the answer. Then check and recheck until you re sure you know the material. A simple, but effective, study device is a cover card. As you are studying, look at your notebook or textbook and read what you are trying to memorize. Then use your cover card to conceal what you have just read, and try reciting or writing the facts from memory. Check until you are sure you have mastered these facts. 8. GOOD NOTES IS YOUR INSURANCE AGAINST FORGETTING. Learn to take notes efficiently as your teachers stress important points in class and as you study your assignments. Good notes are a must for just before the test reviewing. Without notes you will often need to reread the whole assignment before a test. With them you can call the main points to mind in just a fraction of the time. The time you spend in taking notes is not time lost, but time saved. 9. PERHAPS YOU VE ASKED, HOW CAN I REMEMBER WHAT I VE STUDIED? ONE SECRET OF LEARNING IS OVER-LEARNING. Psychologists tell us that the secret of learning for the future is over-learning. Over-learning is continuing your study after you have learned the material well enough to just barely recall it. Experts suggest that after you can say, I have learned the material, you should spend the available time to study. In an experimental study, students who overlearned the material remembered four times as much after 28 days had passed. 10. FREQUENT REVIEWS WILL PAY YOU WELL IN KNOWLEDGE, GRADES AND CREDITS. Without review the average student can forget 80% of what he has read in just two weeks! Your first review should come shortly after you study material for the first time. The early review acts as a check on forgetting and helps you remember far longer. Frequent reviews throughout the course can pay you well in pretest peace of mind. Mandatory Study Hall We are able to access the student athletes current grades with advanced technology that the Northside Independent School District has installed. Therefore, we have a mandatory study hall for our athletes that have a 74 or lower in any class. We begin after the third week and continue throughout the school year. Study hall is on Tuesday and Wednesday of each week beginning at 8:00am and finishing at 8:30am. We encourage tutoring at this time because of practice after school. Because of this, we have developed a pass that the coach gives to the student athlete to go to tutoring of the class he/she is in danger of failing. We would rather the student athlete go to the class at risk rather than our study hall where they can get more expertise teaching in that particular subject. An example of our pass is shown below:

5 Academic Partner In stressing the importance of a team, we have created academic partners in order to help each other as a team. We usually team up a strong academic athlete with an at-risk athlete, where the two have common ties. If you like each other as a teammate, as it should be, then the willingness to help will be there. The academically stronger partner is to have a common caring about his teammates. He/She should encourage and ask questions. How are your grades? Have you been going to tutoring? Do you need any help? The at-risk athlete should also do his best to help his team by passing. The athlete is no good to the team if he/she cannot play because of failing no matter at what capacity. Assignment Sheet We have devised an assignment sheet which helps keep the parent involved. The concept is to have a watch dog type of approach between the parent and coach in dealing with the student athlete and his progress with his classes. In most cases, the student athlete is at risk because he/she does not turn in his/her homework for whatever reason. The coach gives the athlete an assignment sheet one week at a time with the courses and teachers names on it. The student athlete gives the teacher the assignment in which the teacher writes down the homework assigned for that night and any grades the athlete may have had for that day. Each teacher for each period will fill out the sheet. Most teachers do not mind the extra work because of the rapport we have with our faculty. They know they can come to us for help if they have an issue with one of our athletes. The assignment sheet goes home that night and the parents initial that they have seen it. Now, the parent knows what homework needs to be done and any grades that might have been recorded. The athlete shows the coach the assignment sheet the next morning and the coach initials the assignment sheet. If initials of either the parent or coach are not on the assignment sheet, then consequences will occur. Honor Roll Ribbons Also, we tape honor roll ribbons to the lockers of player s that were all A s and A/B s. This in effect lets the entire team know who was successful in the classroom. Acknowledgment of Success We like to acknowledge our student athletes success in the classroom. We share stories that we receive from teachers with their teammates after practice. We do this continuously throughout the school year. We also have an O awards for the general student body of O Connor High School. These awards given are usually for perfect attendance, most improved student, academics and leadership. This is a good way for us as coaches to acknowledge our student athletes in front of the entire student body.

6 Special thanks to Coach Danny Padron for his insight and help. References White, Mark. Press Conference by White, August 8, Texas State Library and Archives Commision. 8 Aug Texas Office of the Governor. 21 Sept <

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