A Member of the Team
Jim Power, Former Dean of Students and Faculty Member 1986–1993
As a teacher and coach, what makes the athletic environment dramatically different from the classroom is the change in perception and dynamics. As I flash my signs from the third-base box, it is clear to every member of the squad that I am pulling for him. I am an advocate. Although I am an adult, I am still a member of the team.
When I walk into the classroom, I know that I am very much pulling for my students; I want them to “win.” Unfortunately, my scholars don’t see that l am more ally than adversary, and l can understand why. In class, in addition to being the academic “coach,” I am also the evaluator — I carry red pens and I hand back essays with lousy numbers on top. On the field, the evaluation, painful though it may be, is done by the game itself. In a very real way, the sport is the liberator for me. The game helps me and my students see we are in these contests together. It eliminates ambiguity. We’re all on the same side.
