What Leadership Means to Me (leadership pt1)

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about leadership is my dad. My dad has been a football coach and teacher my entire life. He is what inspired me to go to school to get my teaching degree. Of course, being a kid, I always resented how much time my dad spent away from our family to help his school kids. I also hated how much time I had to spend at the high school because my mom worked at the hospital, so all the high school kids were my after-school babysitters. I felt like all my summers were being wasted because my brothers and I had to spend so much time at the school. Going to the school in the summer as a four-year-old and watching my dad paint the football field or meeting with kids after school to help then I never understood why he would want to work when he wasn't getting paid. He was always gone on overnight trips for games and late-night practices.

He was not only an example to me but an example to many kids at my school. Sometimes it would bother me that he would give so many other kids attention until I realized how lucky I was compared to those other students. I once had a great coach that I knew cared about me and not just the sport I was playing. I have been playing basketball as early as the age of two. I had always had so much pressure from my parents and past coaches to be a leader and a perfect player. I wanted all those things, but I never felt valued by the amount of effort and work I was putting in. I wanted to be noticed for all the time and practice I was putting outside of the game.

 My coach used to have 5am morning practices that were optional and sometimes I was the only player that would come. I spent a lot of one-on-one time with him so during our morning practices he would plan the practice out to what I needed. He never praised me on my skill, he only praised me on my improvement for all the time I put in and for just showing up. I finally understood that my dad was like that with his players and students. Having another adult care about you outside of your family makes you feel important and valued. 

As I got older, I appreciated my dad and the effort he put into his school kids and how I had teachers and coaches who changed my life and that my dad could be that for someone else. Now realizing I have had some of the best childhood memories running around all summer on the football field or the gym. Having about 30 teenage best friends and getting to go to all the fun high school events that kids my age did not get too. I hope to be a great teacher and coach just like my dad. 

Leaders don't always have to be someone who has led a war or is stopping world hunger, it can be your high school basketball coach who reached out to you when he thought you seemed sad or your dad who is a great teacher and coach that you aspire to become.