3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Boys Basketball
Well, we`re 1 - 0 so far and we are a really young team. I`m excited about what I see and about what is on the horizon for this group. I started this season out not knowing these kids much at all as I don`t have contact with them on a day to day basis. I`ve had to learn names quickly and have had to get them to understand my way of doing things.
First of all, let me clarify that my way of doing things can be a bit hard to understand at first, but there is a method to the madness. For those that attended the game at Meadowridge, you probably realised that I am not a quiet coach. I`m very emotional and very into the game. I`m also very loud. I don`t realise it until I catch myself yelling in a quiet gym. The volume isn`t a sign of my mood, rather a sign of my involvement. The kids have adjusted nicely.
We have a game today (Tuesday, December 11th) at Southridge in Surrey. This school has a tradition in basketball and we will be in for a tough game.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Friday, 14 September 2012
What the heck am I reading this for?
What the heck am I reading this for?
Well, you're hopefully reading this because you're interested at what's going on at Brockton School. The added bonus to this reason is that you get to see things through my eyes. Why is that a bonus? I'll tell you......................It's a bonus because, if you ask anyone from the school that knows me well, I have a very interesting take on things. Not necessarily right or wrong, just interesting.
This will be a running commentary on the year focusing on events, classes, situations, students, etc. You will also get a very candid look at the ins and outs of my day to day existence here at Brockton. I will post the brilliant things I do at the school (not a long read) and some of the times where I make myself look like a moron (brew some coffee, get a snack and settle in for those reads).
If you want to be a member of this blog, there is a way to do so in the right hand margin of the blog.
I look forward to an action packed year and hope you enjoy the ride with me.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please stop by my office or email me at swalton@brocktonschool.com.
Thanks for your continued support.
Well, you're hopefully reading this because you're interested at what's going on at Brockton School. The added bonus to this reason is that you get to see things through my eyes. Why is that a bonus? I'll tell you......................It's a bonus because, if you ask anyone from the school that knows me well, I have a very interesting take on things. Not necessarily right or wrong, just interesting.
This will be a running commentary on the year focusing on events, classes, situations, students, etc. You will also get a very candid look at the ins and outs of my day to day existence here at Brockton. I will post the brilliant things I do at the school (not a long read) and some of the times where I make myself look like a moron (brew some coffee, get a snack and settle in for those reads).
If you want to be a member of this blog, there is a way to do so in the right hand margin of the blog.
I look forward to an action packed year and hope you enjoy the ride with me.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please stop by my office or email me at swalton@brocktonschool.com.
Thanks for your continued support.
Friday, 31 August 2012
The Deep Dive
The Deep Dive!!
Here is a glipse into how the DT 8 & 9 classes are going to run.
Looking forward to getting started.
Here is 1 of 3
2 of 3
Part 3 of 3
Here is a glipse into how the DT 8 & 9 classes are going to run.
Looking forward to getting started.
Here is 1 of 3
2 of 3
Part 3 of 3
Saturday, 14 July 2012
The Follow Through
The Follow Through
Well, the last you heard from me, I was on a mission to lose some lbs' and get after it for my wedding. I started just before the end of school and have reached a milestone that is something I don't take lightly. I lost my 42nd pound today and feel fantastic. My goal is to be 60 lbs lighter by the start of school in September. Will I get there? Not sure, but if I was in Vegas and there was money to put on this bet, I'd put it all on me being 60lbs lighter.
Stay tuned.
Well, the last you heard from me, I was on a mission to lose some lbs' and get after it for my wedding. I started just before the end of school and have reached a milestone that is something I don't take lightly. I lost my 42nd pound today and feel fantastic. My goal is to be 60 lbs lighter by the start of school in September. Will I get there? Not sure, but if I was in Vegas and there was money to put on this bet, I'd put it all on me being 60lbs lighter.
Stay tuned.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Alan Ross
Alan Ross
Ok, so after my rant the other day, I found that maybe I came across like there should be a violin playing beside me. This blog, aside from giving parents insight into what's happening in my classes, is for me to share my thoughts on what's going on not only at the school, but in my world.
I know he's going to want to kill me for this, but I want to highlight someone that I think deserves to be recognised for all that he does in the school. When I think about senior leadership and all that it should encompass, here is a rundown of what I personally look for.
When I first got to the school, I sat back for the most part and took things in. I'm not one to come in and make huge sudden movements to scare people off (I know, I know, at times it doesn't come across that way, but that was my goal). Alan Ross didn't really seem to impress me or rub me the wrong way at first. He was just a 10th grader with floppy hair and a nice shadow on his upper lip. He was polite and participated fairly well in my classes, but didn't set the world on fire for me right out of the gate.
As the year moved on, I really gained a respect for him in my PE classes. Alan has not been blessed with a God given athleticism. He has to really work to make things happen in PE and things don't come easy to him. We have played some things and have done some activities in that class that have been really challenging for him. We've had several people in that class and in some of my past classes that have been far more athletically gifted give far less effort, and therefor worse grades than Alan.
There were times during the year where I honestly thought that things were going to get to him in my PE class and he would lower his effort level out of frustration. To be honest, this is something that happens far too often with people. They see or experience something that is difficult and they fold their tent. At the first sight of hard work, they take the easy way out, or in a lot of cases have their parents bail them out. Not in this case. Alan put forth the same effort, and in fact increased his effort as the year went on.
I can honestly say that as of yesterday, I saw Alan do things in my class that he just wasn't able to do at the beginning of the year. To say that it makes me proud to see that is an understatement. I try not to get too over the top with things, but I'm over the top about his progress.
In addition to his PE efforts, Alan doesn't do much other than help out the teachers with "techy" issues (I'm probably the worst one as he's going to help me out with something that might seem minor to him for my wedding), he joined my Ultimate team this year, which was his first experience with a team sport and did great. He is a high achiever in school, he is involved with our World Music Program at Brockton and will be travelling to Greece this summer and he found time to help out a PYP student this past week in a triathlon.
Alan got up early on a Saturday to help Josh out with the cycling and running portion of the triathlon. When Mrs. Wall asked me if I knew of any students that would be able to help Josh out with this, Alan was the first person that came to mind. I explained to Alan that Josh is visually impaired and needs some help doing something that he wouldn't be able to do otherwise and asked if he'd be up for helping out. Alan said he would absolutely do it and practised with Josh for a few weeks before the event. When I asked Alan how things were going, he told me they were going well with Josh and that Josh likes to talk a lot, but that it was cool. When I asked Josh how things were going, he was over the moon about it and really enjoyed Alan's company. After the event was over, I asked Josh how he did and he told me that it was great and that "his friend Alan" really helped him out a lot. The smile on his face was priceless.
When I think of how I would want my kid to be when he gets to the 10th grade, I can't come up with a better role model than Alan Ross. The respect I've gained over the year for him is immeasurable. When I think of what Brockton is and about what we envision our kids being in terms of effort and responsibility, I see Alan Ross.
Ok, so after my rant the other day, I found that maybe I came across like there should be a violin playing beside me. This blog, aside from giving parents insight into what's happening in my classes, is for me to share my thoughts on what's going on not only at the school, but in my world.
I know he's going to want to kill me for this, but I want to highlight someone that I think deserves to be recognised for all that he does in the school. When I think about senior leadership and all that it should encompass, here is a rundown of what I personally look for.
- Academic accountability and effort
- Social responsibility
- Communication skills with peers, teachers and school community
- Willingness to try new things out of a comfort zone
- How does the student interact with the younger students?
- Objectivity when self reflecting
- Genuine effort in participating in as many things to not only improve as a person, but to also improve the school
When I first got to the school, I sat back for the most part and took things in. I'm not one to come in and make huge sudden movements to scare people off (I know, I know, at times it doesn't come across that way, but that was my goal). Alan Ross didn't really seem to impress me or rub me the wrong way at first. He was just a 10th grader with floppy hair and a nice shadow on his upper lip. He was polite and participated fairly well in my classes, but didn't set the world on fire for me right out of the gate.
As the year moved on, I really gained a respect for him in my PE classes. Alan has not been blessed with a God given athleticism. He has to really work to make things happen in PE and things don't come easy to him. We have played some things and have done some activities in that class that have been really challenging for him. We've had several people in that class and in some of my past classes that have been far more athletically gifted give far less effort, and therefor worse grades than Alan.
There were times during the year where I honestly thought that things were going to get to him in my PE class and he would lower his effort level out of frustration. To be honest, this is something that happens far too often with people. They see or experience something that is difficult and they fold their tent. At the first sight of hard work, they take the easy way out, or in a lot of cases have their parents bail them out. Not in this case. Alan put forth the same effort, and in fact increased his effort as the year went on.
I can honestly say that as of yesterday, I saw Alan do things in my class that he just wasn't able to do at the beginning of the year. To say that it makes me proud to see that is an understatement. I try not to get too over the top with things, but I'm over the top about his progress.
In addition to his PE efforts, Alan doesn't do much other than help out the teachers with "techy" issues (I'm probably the worst one as he's going to help me out with something that might seem minor to him for my wedding), he joined my Ultimate team this year, which was his first experience with a team sport and did great. He is a high achiever in school, he is involved with our World Music Program at Brockton and will be travelling to Greece this summer and he found time to help out a PYP student this past week in a triathlon.
Alan got up early on a Saturday to help Josh out with the cycling and running portion of the triathlon. When Mrs. Wall asked me if I knew of any students that would be able to help Josh out with this, Alan was the first person that came to mind. I explained to Alan that Josh is visually impaired and needs some help doing something that he wouldn't be able to do otherwise and asked if he'd be up for helping out. Alan said he would absolutely do it and practised with Josh for a few weeks before the event. When I asked Alan how things were going, he told me they were going well with Josh and that Josh likes to talk a lot, but that it was cool. When I asked Josh how things were going, he was over the moon about it and really enjoyed Alan's company. After the event was over, I asked Josh how he did and he told me that it was great and that "his friend Alan" really helped him out a lot. The smile on his face was priceless.
When I think of how I would want my kid to be when he gets to the 10th grade, I can't come up with a better role model than Alan Ross. The respect I've gained over the year for him is immeasurable. When I think of what Brockton is and about what we envision our kids being in terms of effort and responsibility, I see Alan Ross.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
The End Is Coming
The End Is Upon Us
As we wind down to the end of the year, I'm reminded of last year at this time where I was starting to participate in some of the Brockton activities as an outsider of sorts. I was fired up to be getting to work with people that were on the "good" side of the bars and with kids again. I found myself full of energy and enthusiasm for my new teaching position. Fast forward a year later.........................
This has been a rewarding year, but a challenging one in some aspects. I've found that I am able to connect with kids of all ages, and while not all of them like me or understand my "way", I would hope that they all understand that I'm really here to help them. That might mean a one on one chat or it could mean kicking their rear end over their shoulders. Either way, it's to benefit them. I had teachers, coaches and parents that continually kicked my rear end over my shoulders and I'm better off for it. That's what I needed at the time, and to be honest, I probably needed a bit more of it.
Tough love doesn't always mean "hate". In fact, in my case, tough love means that I'm trying to make sure you don't make the same mistakes I made as a student. I've had plenty of run ins with students this year and for the most part, our relationship has blossomed due to the tough love and the understanding of where it's coming from. Those lessons are the best to learn because you don't have someone doing all the work for you. You are allowing the student to find their own way and discover what's right and wrong by experience.
One of the things I'm amazed at in Brockton is the lack of manners from students. This is the one difference I've found between the public schools I've been at and being here. I think things really came to a head last week when I took my discovery class bowling. Out of the 17 kids we took, I counted only 6 that said thank you to the person behind the counter giving them their shoes. I didn't hear a please or a thank you from most of them. I had to get the group together and tell them that they were not to leave that place without thanking the man behind the counter. The man commented on the lack of manners when we arrived, but commented on the change when we left. This should not be an issue. I find when I hold doors open for students, lend them equipment, give them rides, etc., that they are lacking in the basic manners displayed by other kids their age. This is something we need to work on.
On a positive, I've found that athletics really took a big step this year. Next year we will not be making the same mistakes we found ourselves making this year as we will be better prepared for what's coming up. This was a tough year for us as Ms. Mabe and myself were both new to the school and to the league we were in. Now that we have a bit of a grasp on things, we will only be getting better. We aren't going to be a power house anytime soon, but we are building towards that and we are doing it the right way.
I want to thank all the parents and students that came in and got fitted for the new Brockton PE and Athletics gear. We had a tremendous turnout. Not surprising, it was a huge turnout for the PYP. The MYP showed about as much enthusiasm for this as they did for a lot of things this year. Not much. However, I look at it this way......................We're on a train that is going somewhere. We're going there no matter what. You're either on the train or you're standing on the platform. I would suggest you get on the train. If you're not, the platform is going to be a lonely place next year.
I will be introducing some other gear for parents to buy that is high quality Adidas gear. There will be specific women's items as well as stuff for men, and stuff for both. There will also be some T-shirts available. I have some T-shirts in right now that are from Adidas that have our crest on the front with Brockton Athletics printed above and below the crest. On the back is the Adidas logo with "Unity in Adversity" written below it. These can be ordered from Mr. Walton for $33.00 each. Let me know if you want one. I have some samples in my office.
I will be updating this blog all summer. I'm on a mission right now to lose some lbs. I'm going to be getting married in August and need to look respectable for this date. I'm getting after it right now and will document my progress. I promise I'll make it interesting and comical. Anything involving me is comical.
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
This was a proud day for me. I'm going to start out saying that, yes we lost again. Ok, that's tough to take at the best of times. However, let me fill you in on the difference between losing on Friday at St. George's and losing today at Cloverdale Athletic Park.
St. George's
Bad coaching and little effort equals poor results. This is an equation I just have a hard time living with. Teresa will be the first to tell you that I wasn't fun to be around this past weekend. I had a tough time swallowing the last performance. I didn't feel like my message was getting through about effort and about doing the little things right. That made me feel like a failure as a coach and as a teacher. Feeling like a failure is a feeling that encompasses several emotions. Fear, embarrassment, frustration, anger and sadness. The great thing about sports is that you almost always have a chance to redeem yourself. I really just want the best for these kids.
Cloverdale Athletic Park
Bad coaching and great effort equals much better results. This is an equation I can live with all day. This is something I know we can build on. I was so impressed with the toughness our kids showed. Like I said, we lost, but we really got our act together in the second half of the game. With some leadership shown by Alex in the second half, some much needed offence shown by Lucas and some incredible diving defencive efforts by Tyler, we really showed Regent Christian some toughness. Our most improved player has been Alan. What a great job he did defensively today. He was really great. I'm so proud of him. Zach really got things together today and made some nice plays and was great on defence. Flynn did a great job on defence and made a great catch that looked like it was headed for the ground. Nick really focused in and allowed our team to flow better by getting in great position for bailout passes. This is something that is so important. Yemaya did a much better job today sticking with her check and played almost the entire game. Brianna had a fantastic first half and showed great instincts on defence. She played the most out of the girls and really did a great job. Emmanuel got in the game today and showed a great amount of improvement. I was really proud of him. Pascal is such a fighter. He got his nose in there and never gave up. He really showed a lot of guts today. Shane caught on to what we were trying to do and really stepped up his game. Not to mention gave me some entertainment on the way to the game.
If the group comes to practise like this, we can really work on some things. The goal for a team and school like this is to improve and get to the point where we can compete. Taking steps like this will get us to our destination in great shape.
Great job today Brockton. I'm really proud of you.
St. George's
Bad coaching and little effort equals poor results. This is an equation I just have a hard time living with. Teresa will be the first to tell you that I wasn't fun to be around this past weekend. I had a tough time swallowing the last performance. I didn't feel like my message was getting through about effort and about doing the little things right. That made me feel like a failure as a coach and as a teacher. Feeling like a failure is a feeling that encompasses several emotions. Fear, embarrassment, frustration, anger and sadness. The great thing about sports is that you almost always have a chance to redeem yourself. I really just want the best for these kids.
Cloverdale Athletic Park
Bad coaching and great effort equals much better results. This is an equation I can live with all day. This is something I know we can build on. I was so impressed with the toughness our kids showed. Like I said, we lost, but we really got our act together in the second half of the game. With some leadership shown by Alex in the second half, some much needed offence shown by Lucas and some incredible diving defencive efforts by Tyler, we really showed Regent Christian some toughness. Our most improved player has been Alan. What a great job he did defensively today. He was really great. I'm so proud of him. Zach really got things together today and made some nice plays and was great on defence. Flynn did a great job on defence and made a great catch that looked like it was headed for the ground. Nick really focused in and allowed our team to flow better by getting in great position for bailout passes. This is something that is so important. Yemaya did a much better job today sticking with her check and played almost the entire game. Brianna had a fantastic first half and showed great instincts on defence. She played the most out of the girls and really did a great job. Emmanuel got in the game today and showed a great amount of improvement. I was really proud of him. Pascal is such a fighter. He got his nose in there and never gave up. He really showed a lot of guts today. Shane caught on to what we were trying to do and really stepped up his game. Not to mention gave me some entertainment on the way to the game.
If the group comes to practise like this, we can really work on some things. The goal for a team and school like this is to improve and get to the point where we can compete. Taking steps like this will get us to our destination in great shape.
Great job today Brockton. I'm really proud of you.
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