Coach_K

1 hour ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Being a male, you understand  you can't do this by yourself........ right?

Just out of fairness, a woman cannot do it by herself either.

On 5/17/2019 at 4:58 PM, DT said:

Those who are coming into power in the education hierarchy do not share the same passion for tackle football as their predecessors did.

Where is your proof of this?  Specifically, you cited Coach Morrison should consider contraction.  Why?

On 5/17/2019 at 4:58 PM, DT said:

Changing demographics, socio economic pressures, injury and potential long term disability concerns, and declining participation will all take their toll and contribute to whether schools decide to play on or contract.

Valid points,if you don't factor in that football is safer than it has ever been.

On 5/17/2019 at 4:58 PM, DT said:

The advancing encroachment of lay coaching is another indicator of deterioration within the sport at the high school level.

This is true we are seeing more and more lay coaches, however this is due to the enormous responsibilities put on teachers.  High stakes testing, low wages and now new professional responsibilities all allow an opportunity for others outside the world of education to coach.  Take it from me lay coaches can be difficult to work with but they love the sport and want to coach it.

On 5/17/2019 at 4:58 PM, DT said:

Gone are the days when ADs could count on gate receipts and concessions to help fund other sports.  Attendance is abysmal and dropping year over year at staggering rates.  Online streaming will only exacerbate this trend.

Attendance might be down but I am pretty sure football games more than cover for their expenses.  If online streaming is an issue... Do not sign off on it.

On 5/17/2019 at 4:58 PM, DT said:

ADs do not owe the high school football experience to their respective student bodies.

You are correct.  An AD's job is to ensure school policies are being followed and to take recommendations to the other administrators school board.  Then the school board can decide what they want to do.  So if you want contraction to happen so bad, get yourself elected to a school board and make it happen.  Or you can just leave these schools alone and wait for the "I told you so" moment, which may or may not come. 

16 hours ago, Muda69 said:

"The birthrate is a barometer of despair," Myers says in response to the CDC data. Explaining that idea, he says young people won't make plans to have babies unless they're optimistic about the future.

Unfortunately, a lot of young people feel like there is nothing to be optimistic about.

16 hours ago, Muda69 said:

Is immigration the answer?  

My opinion: Yes

44 minutes ago, DT said:

I certainly understand and appreciate your point of view

However I do believe that momentum is building in this country towards the contraction option for chronically non competitive football programs .   It's certainly an unpopular and distasteful option for many fans and supporters, but it is the right and practical choice for many schools facing insurmountable headwinds

You have a new generation of admins who are coming into power who do not have the loyalty and passion to football as did their predecessors

Changing demographics also portend continued participation declines, further exacerbating existing challenges

I believe we will continue to see a slow but steady decline in high school football programs in Indiana and across the country, especially in the Midwest and the Northeast where population declines have been the trend for the past decade.  

 

DT you might be right, but have you been to Madison?  Did you read the NY Times article?

I went to college in Hanover only about 5 miles away.  I know the city, some of the people and the history.  The student-athletes there need football.   Football provides the kids an opportunity to develop a bond, friendship and brotherhood not to mention keep the kids safe.  The boys learn accountability and have the football staff looking out for them.  The coaches at Madison educate their student-athletes about life as much as the game of football. 

You and I probably view success differently.  Yes they might not be win on the gridiron, but who is it to say that winning is success for this community?  Just because a team doesn't win doesn't mean it isn't successful.  Coaches are with these guys for a minimum of 20 hours per week in season and countless hours out of season.  We are positive role models who represent what their lives could become instead of what they see everyday.  I'm only 34, but when former players come up and talk to me they appreciate how much work and time I gave them.  

1 hour ago, gonzoron said:

fixed that for ya

Good point!

Kids don't have parents anymore.  They have friends.  Friends who share their DNA and are responsible for them, but "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

1 hour ago, jets said:

Have NEVER been a Gordon Englehardt fan - and this article just reeks of "7th grade girl gossip". When did he become an opinion columnist? "Several texted questions" were sent ...is this how reporting is done nowadays?? I would prefer just news/facts - not speculation. 

Sorry, rant over. 

I understand your frustration with the article, but Englehardt said there were several sources about the preliminary talks.  (I want to know those sources.)

He probably texted the questions because Mr. Lewis did not answer phone calls.  Mr. Lewis could control the narrative with texting the answers back. (I've been there and done that in the past.)

Here is an article for a few years ago about what Coach has done.  I hope in his new role he can continue to be a positive role model and make a big impact in the Madison area!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/sports/opioids-suicide.html

Coach Morrison was a college teammate of mine and good guy.  Good luck in your new role Coach Mo!

https://madisoncourier.com/Content/Sports/Sports/Article/Madison-football-coach-Patric-Morrison-resigns-to-take-assistant-athletic-director-position/18/289/115225

6 minutes ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Key word in my post trained.

All good questions. My main point, if I am trained and have an Indiana LTCH, why can't I defend myself with a firearm in a school or similar soft target?

To your point, if school personnel can already have firearms on school property with authorization from the school board, is there a legal argument against it?  If it is state law on the books, I would argue no.

8 minutes ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Are you against trained LTCH teachers being armed in school? 

School personnel can already have firearms on school property with authorization from the school board. 

I am not sure how I feel about school personnel carrying because of the following questions:

Does a teacher carrying make the school safer?

Where do the majority of school shooting take place? (Classroom, common areas, hallways, etc.)  When do these occurrences happen? (Is there a pattern?)

Does the teacher with a gun pursue the school shooter? What happens if he/she breaks school protocol?

What happens if another student gets shot by the teacher? Liability issues?

What happens if the students find out a teacher is carrying?

1 hour ago, swordfish said:

What new legislation would you propose?  These kids broke numerous laws just obtaining and possessing  the guns, let alone taking them into a gun-free zone and then committed murder.  Anything legislative must be aimed at addressing mental issues.

I don't know. I don't have answers.  The problem is we know school shootings happen and instead of making meaningful change, politicians politicize the event.  I don't care if you are R or D, they all do it.

I would argue you fund education more and put more time and money into personnel.  More counselors to serve the ever-changing student body.  More teachers so they could get to know students better.  More professional development aimed at understanding mental/emotional issues, recognizing signs.  Referring to politicians --->Place an importance on the child and their actions not solely how they do on a test. <--- 

21 minutes ago, SoIndRef said:

School boards are supposed to focus on policy, not administrative roles.  

Clearly they don't.

I have numerous students (both now and in the past, both public and private schools) who believe school is the only safe place in their life.  With each incident of a school shooting the anxiety levels of students, teachers and parents goes up.  To do nothing is wrong. I would rather we take a shot at fixing the problem through legislation, rather than sit here and do nothing.  Unfortunately, legislation would mean public education would receive more funding, and well, we are in Indiana. We simply cannot give more money to the schools even if that means the possibility of safer schools.

1 hour ago, itiswhatitis said:

Too bad the players and the fans are the ones who have to pay for someone else's agenda.

When school boards take an active role in education, that is suppose to be a good thing.  I mean that's why they were created.  However in numerous cases, especially in small schools corporations, the school boards use the power to hire "their" people.  Typically, they don't care about anyone else except themselves.  I have heard stories from a former AD about taking names of coaches to the board but the board says, "No.  We are hiring Mr. Smith. So get on board."  I could go on and on about stories from school boards and principals from first hand accounts but I think all the educators on the GID understand.  Nevertheless, sad state of affairs for the Eastern Greene students and community.

Just now, SoIndRef said:

 

Is it bad that we are teachers and this is how we are spending our time??  It's the end of the year is a good excuse....

My kids just got done iLearn testing.

5 minutes ago, SoIndRef said:

Or you just wait a year or two and do nothing and the licensing will change again.  

When I got my license initially under Rules 2002, we had to create a portfolio showing something (I never did it because I did not find a teaching job right away) but by the time I landed a job, the portfolio was already scrapped.

Good info!

28 minutes ago, JQWL said:

Why is it declining? I know in our area, Springs Valley, Paoli, Crawford County, Orleans, NE Dubois, Shoals are all declining when there are more jobs in the area than ever before. So people aren't really transferring to other schools. Are people not reproducing as much? A smart man told me that the issue is there are more jobs in the area so all the people that like to draw unemployment moved out of the area. He might be on to something.

In the olden days, small rural communities would be where the whole family lived.  Nowadays we have social media, therefore many people feel more comfortable moving away while keeping good relationships.  Statistics show most young people move to the city, where they might find a hiring paying job.  Some people may think there is less opportunity here.  Statistics also show many Americans are reproducing less.  There are a lot of different reasons the numbers are declining.  I will give you an example. Teacher lives in NE Dubois and his/her children go to school in Jasper. "Jasper can offer my child more opportunities so I send them there." 

2 minutes ago, crimsonace1 said:

Meanwhile, they increased funding for charter and voucher schools several orders of magnitude higher than the increase in public school funding. Rural schools are getting hammered because their enrollment is declining. 

And usually its not declining because students are choosing to go to a charter or private school!  So the argument of "be a better school" does not apply!

18 minutes ago, psaboy said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Catholic schools are pretty much funded by that certain church, not with tax payer money like these charter schools?

Here is some info you might find interesting:

https://www.doe.in.gov/choice/school-scholarships

     Sec. 4.7. "Eligible school" refers to a public or nonpublic elementary school or high school that:

(1) is located in Indiana;

(2) requires an eligible choice scholarship student to pay tuition or transfer tuition to attend;

(3) voluntarily agrees to enroll an eligible choice scholarship student;

(4) is accredited by either the state board or a national or regional accreditation agency that is recognized by the state board;

(5) administers the statewide assessment program;

(6) is not a charter school or the school corporation in which an eligible choice scholarship student has legal settlement under IC 20-26-11; and

(7) submits to the department only the student performance data required for a category designation under IC 20-31-8-3.

As added by P.L.92-2011, SEC.6. Amended by P.L.211-2013, SEC.6; P.L.242-2017, SEC.49.

     Sec. 5. "Eligible student" refers to an individual who:

(1) has legal settlement in Indiana;

(2) is at least five (5) years of age and less than twenty-two (22) years of age on the date in the school year specified in IC 20-33-2-7;

(3) either has been or is currently enrolled in a participating school; and

(4) is a member of a household with an annual income of not more than two hundred percent (200%) of the amount required for the individual to qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch program.

As added by P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.364. Amended by P.L.129-2012, SEC.1; P.L.211-2013, SEC.7.

     Sec. 6. (a) "Participating school" refers to a public or nonpublic school that:

(1) an eligible student is required to pay tuition or transfer tuition to attend;

(2) voluntarily agrees to enroll an eligible student;

(3) is accredited by either the state board or a national or regional accreditation agency that is recognized by the state board; and

(4) administers the tests under the statewide assessment program or administers another nationally recognized and norm-referenced assessment of the school's students.

     (b) The term does not include a public school in a school corporation where the eligible student has legal settlement under IC 20-26-11.

As added by P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.364. Amended by P.L.242-2017, SEC.50.

     Sec. 7. "Scholarship granting organization" refers to an organization that:

(1) is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and

(2) is organized at least in part to grant school scholarships without limiting the availability of scholarships to students of only one (1) participating school.

As added by P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.364. Amended by P.L.92-2011, SEC.7.

     Sec. 8. "School scholarship" refers to a grant to pay only the cost of education for an eligible student as determined for the school year (as defined in IC 20-18-2-17) for which the scholarship will be granted.

As added by P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.364.

     Sec. 1. The department shall maintain a publicly available list of the school scholarship programs certified by the department. The list must contain names, addresses, and any other information that the department determines is necessary for the public to determine which scholarship granting organizations conduct school scholarship programs. A current list must be posted on an Internet web site used by the department to provide information to the public.

As added by P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.364.

Here is a list of schools who currently accept SGOs

https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/choice/sgo-participating-schools-december-6-2018.pdf

5 minutes ago, psaboy said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Catholic schools are pretty much funded by that certain church, not with tax payer money like these charter schools?

School Choice Vouchers

Muda, I don't always agree with your posts, but I 100% support this post!  We have such an amazing language and have a large vocabulary, yet we dumb it all down to sentences and phrases like "that was ****ing amazing." "What the ****." When you use the word with such frequency and in so many different ways it loses the impact it once had.  By no means am I a writer or have the largest vocabulary, but I will still try to use better words. 

2 things I believe:

1. Dropping the F bomb casually in conversation makes you sound less intelligent.

2. The use of "swear words" makes you sound angry.

If you don't think this is a problem, go listen to a group of teenagers and count the number of F bombs.

I definitely believe that was part of the delay. 

But I think Miller and Hein said something to the effect of we know we are leaving and this situation will be someone else's decision.

Superintendents, Principals and Coaches should all be expressing their opinions both for and against for the new ADs.

10 hours ago, Titanbacker said:

I heard that there is another school in the B8 that is without an AD! But nothing has been released on it. So if that is the case that mean that there could have only been 3 ADs at the B8 meeting.

I don't have any knowledge, but I would assume Hein and Miller were both at the Big 8 meeting even though they aren't coming back.  In my experience, they have always been two very professional ADs.