Sales Tax Vote In St. Johns County Tuesday (middle school, salaries)

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Debg1

I have a child who is a student at Nease and is not athletically inclined. We had him try almost every sport as a child but outside of bowling which he still loves and bowls in a weekly league and golf which he recently started playing again he did not stick with a sport. The high schools do offer a good variety of after school sports. I do know the football team at Nease accepts all new students into the program even though they have tryouts.

I am pleased that the St Johns County schools include gym, even in high school my child has a mandatory Hope class where they cover health and also dress out and do athletics two days a week. They also offer weightlifting which any child can sign up for as an elective class.

I believe there are some options available for Children who are not athletic to be active. I am similar to you in that I did not try out for any teams in school but later in life did take a liking to golf, biking and yoga. In my opinion it is easier later in life to do activities for your own gratification rather than in school when there is pressure to participate in activities that a child perceives as being popular.

I thought bowling was extinct. But you're the second person I've run into recently with a child interested in bowling (the other has a teenager who is pretty good at the game - and she competes around the state). I used to bowl as a kid (with my friends) - and recall that it was a lot of fun .

Golf is a good game too. One thing about golf is that at the recreational level - people at different levels can compete against one another because of the "handicap" system.

To me - the most important thing is for kids to be active. I had required physical education well into college. It's interesting that some colleges today are reintroducing physical education standards. Like requiring that kids know how to swim (an important life skill IMO) before they graduate:

For Certain College Students, This Test Calls for a Plunge - WSJ

So it's good to hear that at least some kids still have mandatory PE these days. And even kids who aren't athletic can at least try things - to "stretch" themselves. I remember taking gymnastics (compulsory) when I was in elementary school. A sillier sight than me doing a "bird's nest" on the rings would be hard to imagine. But I did it. And - of course - there are things that just about anyone can learn to do and do - like ride a bike. Doesn't require a lot of time - money or athletic ability.

What are the activities that you think are "popular/fashionable" these days? I guess lacrosse would be in that category. I am kind of partial to learning things that one can do alone - or in small groups. Because - after school - when you're working - it's harder to do things that require large teams to show up at certain times to play games. OTOH - I know some people who make the time to do that (one friend who played college football was an avid rugby player for decades). Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

1 - You are talking only about football...

Football is probably the biggest sport. Although it can be rivaled by basketball. Which - at a minimum - is a close second. I think that basketball can be more important at the high school level than football. Because few (if any) football players go directly into the NFL. Whereas some of the most elite basketball players - like LeBron James - go directly from high school to the NBA. In any event - the top NBA prospects are identified well before they even graduate from high school:

The 10 best NBA prospects in high school basketball - SBNation.com

Like JBtwinz pretty much says - it's big business. Not fun and games. Robyn

[judeK]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

I thought bowling was extinct. Robyn

Far from it ... The Terry Parker High School girls bowling team just won their district competition and competed in the "state" tournament.

[snuffybear]

Originally Posted by judeK

Far from it ... The Terry Parker High School girls bowling team just won their district competition and competed in the "state" tournament.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

If he teaches weight training, then he is a *PE teacher* at the school. That's a teaching job. Then if they coach, they get a coaching stipend on top of the teaching salary.

Weight training at PVHS is offered in many class periods. Hence is a full time teaching job. Like I said, some coaches are TEACHERS at the school.

Football is ONE sport. There are quite a few other sports and I also know they are not all teachers at the school.

Well - I doubt this fellow was recruited for his prowess in teaching weight training . And the press reports bear me out.

Note that of the 5 physical education "teachers" at Nease - 3 "teach" weight training:

Teachers | Allen D. Nease High School

How many "weight training" teachers does Nease need? OTOH - Nease did need a new defensive coordinator for the football team. So it "recruited" Todd Nichols (from Naples). Not because he "teaches" weight training (which he does) - or because Nease needed another "weight training" teacher - but because the head coach thought he would be a good defensive coordinator:

Justin Barney's Week 4 Snaps: Resurgence at Nease, districts take shape, headliners | jacksonville.com

Nease installs versatility, physicality in spring practice | StAugustine.com

I mean no one even tries to gloss this stuff over. People are recruited to coach football. Not teach kids. And whatever state rules there are about employment contract formalities or job descriptions - the schools do whatever they have to do on paper to comply.

Kind of reminds me a little of top college players who major in things like "Playground Management" . Robyn

[snuffybear]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Football is probably the biggest sport. Although it can be rivaled by basketball. Which - at a minimum - is a close second. I think that basketball can be more important at the high school level than football. Because few (if any) football players go directly into the NFL. Whereas some of the most elite basketball players - like LeBron James - go directly from high school to the NBA. In any event - the top NBA prospects are identified well before they even graduate from high school:

The 10 best NBA prospects in high school basketball - SBNation.com

Like JBtwinz pretty much says - it's big business. Not fun and games. Robyn

There are MANY sports and extracurricular activities in HS for a reason. The goal is for the kids to get involved in activities at their school because it builds more well rounded kids.

Like someone above stated, Nease is not even making cuts in football. That is because they want to maximize the number of kids that can be part of a team sport. And that does go against the "its ONLY about winning" theory. Because though they wouldn't get as much playing time as the stars, I bet they all get some. Haven't you seen stories about kids with autism playing football? THAT is the right thing to do. HS sports are not pro-sports.

99.9% of HS athletes are not going to be professional athletes. The system is not about the .1%. The system is about building good students who will then be good citizens. If you do not understand that, you need to step back and re-evaluate yourself and your argumentative attitude. For example, your bowling comment was rude. Bowling might mean the world to those students who are having an excellent experience in that sport.

[snuffybear]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Well - I doubt this fellow was recruited for his prowess in teaching weight training . And the press reports bear me out.

Note that of the 5 physical education "teachers" at Nease - 3 "teach" weight training:

Teachers | Allen D. Nease High School

How many "weight training" teachers does Nease need? OTOH - Nease did need a new defensive coordinator for the football team. So it "recruited" Todd Nichols (from Naples). Not because he "teaches" weight training (which he does) - or because Nease needed another "weight training" teacher - but because the head coach thought he would be a good defensive coordinator

Justin Barney's Week 4 Snaps: Resurgence at Nease, districts take shape, headliners | jacksonville.com

Nease installs versatility, physicality in spring practice | StAugustine.com

I mean no one even tries to gloss this stuff over. People are recruited to coach football. Not teach kids. And whatever state rules there are about employment contract formalities or job descriptions - the schools do whatever they have to do on paper to comply.

Kind of reminds me a little of top college players who major in things like "Playground Management" . Robyn

Sure they may be prioritizing differently to attract the best candidates...because teaching PE / Weight training is not rocket science.

Football is also different that other sports in that the top players usually do play HS; whereas in other sports, the club sports are often considered for higher levels of competition and recruiting opportunities (e.g., lacrosse, baseball, soccer, swimming, golf, tennis, etc). For instance, in soccer, if you play on the top level club teams, the HS-aged athlete must sign a contract saying he/she won't play school sports and focus exclusively on the club commitment. In Lacrosse, there are major "showcases" that take place in the summers with the club teams. And Lax scholarships are probably easier to get than football ones. Football is mainly a school sport (with Pee-Wee leading up to the school teams)...that is why it is slightly different; the best coaches will coach HS because that's virtually all that exists for the HS age group. But they likely must teach to earn a "full time" salary.

[fsquid]

the coach is likely getting two stipends. One from the county and another one from the boosters of the school. That is usually how it works. That is why your football coach makes more than the tennis coach.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

Wrong. When was this random conversation - like 5 yrs ago?

The middle schools sports for St. Johns County are run by a volunteer organization. All coaches and board members are volunteers.

No - it was like last year. Maybe the year before. I looked the fellow up - and he seems to be a physical education teacher at Landrum. Robyn

[snuffybear]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

No - it was like last year. Maybe the year before. I looked the fellow up - and he seems to be a physical education teacher at Landrum. Robyn

Right, if they are a teacher at the school, they get a stipend.

Other sports use volunteer coaches, who are unpaid and often have kids on the team.