Decisions - and More Decisions

The end of the school year and with it brings the closure of another sports season - but things aren't entirely quiet.

There is the annual shuffle of teachers, many who happen to be coaches, transferring to other schools. Lots of chatter that some schools are talking about curtailing inter-school sports, even intramural ones too.

This is the time of the year when coaches have been gathering for annual meetings too - where they get an opportunity to bid their farewells to those retiring or whatever, get praise for their voluntary time with students, sample the school politics and even get to snoop around and see what changes are coming.

Some of those meetings are about as exciting as watching glue dry. Others, well, just a bit better. At the Toronto District School Board coaches association gathering, one of the hot topics was the annual discussion of age classifications for sports competition. Coaches voted to keep things status quo, which is different from OFSAA. A big concern is not penalizing students who are new to the country or have been held back for significant issues.

In Durham, could be some fireworks that might have a huge impact on school sports. For instance, the athletic association wants all games to start after 2 p.m. because of concerns over teacher coverage. Yet, some teachers are already complaining about late return times.

People in the Durham Catholic Board are also sending a few strong messages. Here's one: that it may not pay for supply teachers while other teachers are supervising teams at tournament and exhibtion games. A suggestion - get ready for this - passing the cost of about $220 a day per teacher on to the players. Parents might have a few choice words about that.

And, there's more.

It appears that buses are the way for transportation for all Durham Catholic students. Liability is the big word. As explained to me, all teams must travel by bus - even a golf team with four players. If a parent is available, that parent can only drive his/her kid. Students may not drive other students. Coaches can not drive students. And I haven't even got to the athletic associations in Peel, York or Halton.

Comments

[Noreen]

Can someone tell me why high school teachers have it so much more easier than elementary school teachers - who also coach and have to teach until the end of June while many high school teachers aren't even in school?
Shall we say golfing and shopping.
Please, I certainly hope no one starts with the nonsense that high school teachers are busy at home marking exams.
At home?
Must be nice.

[Gayle]

Maybe parents should also buy teachers a large Starbucks coffee in Durham too when they pick up the tab for supply teachers.
Ridiculous.

[Norman]

I wonder if these meetings are taking place during normal work hours?
As a taxpayer, I guess I am not allowed to complain or maybe some teachers will snub us and threaten to stop coaching. We have some good teachers drowned out by some slobs.

[E.S.]

Just in case people forget, here's a formula that applies to school sports: students + coaches + money = a season.

[Mr. Dennis]

What a silly rule in Durham. So, if I had an empty car and offered a few players a ride, that's a no-no. What kind of a ridiculous organization am I funding through my tax dollars?

[M. Sheppard]

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a consistent set of rules that all schools in all regions had to follow rather than the mess we have now.
I also agree that OFSAA is a lame duck. They come across disorganized and in my experiences with them very arrogant and not willing to accept advice.
Who hires these people - and maybe that's the problem.

[Mr. F.]

Elementary school teachers work just as hard as the secondary and we get paid less - but we are in the classroom until the end of June.
Some people will read this as being jealous.
Not so, I am proud of what I do - and I also volunteer coaching three teams. We don't have these treats of getting out early in June for "meetings" when many don't even go and those who do sit for a few minutes and then end up somewhere else falling back on saying they were at meetings.
How about Boards of Education showing some equity for coaches?

[Toronto Public School Coach]

Unfortunately, I can not identify myself or there will be repercussions from the people who I tecah with in school. There are far too many sports. It's time to cut down and work better with the clubs. Schools will say they are appealing to all sectors of students. That's "B.S". Spend more time improving what we have, equipment, facilities and opportunities. Make sure the coaches know what they are doing rather than stand around like a log. The more sports, the more confusion. It just eats away limited resources and dollars. The only group who likes it is OFFSAA because they are like leeches sucking up money by charging more schools through offering more OFFSAA playoffs.

[P. Morris]

If they could be paying for a teacher, and that might be a sign of what's coming all over, then why not pay and get a good coach instead.

[F. B.]

I am a coach in the TDSB and that vote on age classifications at our coaches meeting was clearly, in my opinion, an attempt to hurt kids who already have setbacks. The rule is different from that of OFSAA and I don't think OFSAA has it right either. In fact, who cares about OFSAA. If a student, say from another country, comes to Toronto and is 19 going in to grade 12, then that student should be allowed to compete. I say enough of the politics and let's really try do something that helps a kid who needs it.

[george]

thats bull, the collective agreements of tdsb elementary and secondary teachers have them getting paid exactly the same.....look it up!!!!!

[Geoffrey]

Seems like some sour puss is angry with comments about elementary versus secondary school teachers and pay salaries.
I would like to meet George face to face and have him tell me that all secondary school teachers work a full day until the end of the school year like elementary school teachers.
He won't because he knows secondary school teachers don't.

[J.M. Johnstone]

Who came up with the idea of starting games during a school day anyway and I understand that some schools even had games starting at 10:00am?
I was always under the impression that teachers are teaching until the end of the school day. That's what they get paid to do. Don't they?
Is this another attempt by athletic associations, and we know they're unions, to stage games during regular working hours.
Games should start after classes are over.

[Method Man]

David Grossman has done yeoman service on behalf of the interests of GTA high school athletes (and high school sports generally) for many years. I don't always agree with his views, but his views are invariably expressed with his constituency in mind. I urge him to use his influential media forum take this debate to the next level. I hope that Mr. Grossman could deliver a series of published articles to bring the entire HS sports industry into the clearest possible public focus - how to remake GTA HS sports from its current state of staggering disservice to students and taxpayers, into a vehicle that delivers quality to competitive and recreational young athletes alike.

This topic is so important and (as the bloggers in this space confirm) so multi-dimensional that it demands fuller attention. What if the Star convened a forum on HS sports after a published series on the state of HS sports? Take school administrators at their word that they put students first and invite them to debate these issues with students, the taxpayers who ulitmately fund the facilities, coaches, club sports people and the community at large. How can we as a community best work together to make HS sports (and related physical education programming) the most positive experience it can be for all students - no other question is important in this context. Over to you, Mr. Grossman.

[M. Wilson]

I agree with Method Man. Grossman deserves more credit than he gets. The people at OFSAA also don't realize they should be working better with the only real guy left in Toronto who has been at it for years and cares more about students than they do.
He and The Toronto Daily Star have done great things for high school sports.
I heard Grossman on the Fan radio station today and he tells it the way it should be told. Those people at OFSAA can't hack it acting like a bunch of childish people who have to get their way or cry foul. I have lkost respect for them and I know many others have as well with their latest tactics of shutting him out of reporting about students. What a joke.
It's quite obvious to me, as a teacher, a parent and a coach, that it's time to stand up for the people who are behind our children and students - and Grossman is one of them.
While I may not agree with Grossman all the time, and likely because admittingly I am embarrased to say he's right, it's truly a damn shame that OFSAA has looked like a flabby beach whale.

Shame on OFSAA and those who are followers of their petty attitudes.

[Lee Cooke]

I don't like the idea that students are being forced to pick one sport to play in each of the Fall, Winter and Spring terms at school. Why was it fine, when I went to school, for a student to play whatever he or she could as long as they did well in their grades and attended practices. Seems like we have a dictatorial state by certain athletic associations and the boards of education just stand around and do nothing. Who is in charge here?

[Mr. Miller]

I find it ironic that we're pushing kids to keep in shape and yet certain parts of the educational world are restricting kids and forcing them to pick just one sport.
What I find even more depressing is reading that we're on a wait and see situation on whether sports will even be offered at schools because we have to kiss the earth that teachers will volunteer to coach (or try too) or even stand around like flagpoles to supervise.
What's wrong with our educational leaders when they can't show some creativity with the big salaries we are paying them.
Reward the people who want to coach. Yes we have some great coaches who are teachers. Flush away the useless people who pretend to be coaches and are spoiling it for everyone else.