Coaching Ice Hockey

During my practicum I was fortunate enough to work with the girls ice hockey team at my school and this allowed me to grow a great deal as a teacher. I put in a lot of hours into running practices in the mornings during my time at the school as well as before school when I was at UBC. Being able to change the dynamic between my students and I because of the setting we were in was enlightening because it allowed me to learn more about them while being able to show another part of myself as well. I worked primarily with the defense and was many times responsible for the defense on the bench during games. This allowed me to develop my practice plan according to what I saw on the ice from my players during games. Overall this was a fantastic experience for me and encouraged me to help out with more coaching at the school while I was there.

Coaching Softball

I also worked with the softball team during and after my practicum and this was a much different experience than what I had had with the ice hockey team. They were much less serious in softball and a large majority of the team had never played before. This was challenging because it required me to change my register so my players would understand what I was talking about. Both of these sports allowed me to bring my prior athletic experience into my practicum and because of this it made me more comfortable in the role of a teacher and as a member of my school’s faculty.