I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts about what is appropriate communication between a coach and a player in the age of text messaging. This past season my son's coach sent many texts to him at all times of day including during class hours. These texts were sometimes announcements but more often, were conversations. Texts were even exchanged on weekends and later in the evening on non game nights. Is this now considered normal or is this a red flag I should pay attention to? Call me an old fashioned dad but shouldn't a coach respect a student's class time and home time? Maybe coaches should have a group list to text to and it should include at least one parent? Maybe limit texts to just logistics like a change in game or practice? For both the coach and player, I think transparency is crucial. I would love to hear what both parents and coaches think. Thanks.
Communication
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 drdad |
Communication |
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Posts: 1 (12/01/08 09:04:36) |
Last Edited By: drdad 12/01/08 12:56:56.
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dzdllfn |
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Posts: 1 (12/02/08 19:11:49) |
drdad - let your son's coach know you are uncomfortable with this communication. It is, more than likely, a very innocent back and forth between him and
your son and often times younger coaches can be oblivious to the "good manners" associated with texting, as they too are of the text generation. As a
coach, I find text messaging very valuable, however I do make clear, at the beginning of the season, that this form of communication is only for the purpose of
sending important information that needs to go out fast. It's very easy to create a group list which can inlude parents - this is exactly what I do! If I
need to communicate with a specific player I call them at an appropriate time, never text message and most certainly never text at night or on weekends. This
form of contact is too intimate to be done after hours. As a parent myself, this would make me nervous. It is the responsibility of the coach to make sure the
parents know that their child is in safe hands. A coach can save conversations for practice time - if it's important, call the home phone or the parent,
especially if it needs to be done at home in the evening. Talk to the coach, he may be grateful that you brought this to his attention! Good luck!
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drdad |
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Posts: 2 (12/04/08 11:35:13) |
Thanks dzdllfn. Called the coach - a bit awkward but all went well. Also spoke to the AD who will speak about the issue with all coaches. By the way, you are
right, he is very young - only a few years out of high school!
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44 and 7 |
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Posts: 25 (12/04/08 20:45:26) |
I would like to add one thing. Your son should not even have his cell phone turned on when he is in class. The coach can e-mail the player and as far as I am
concerned (I am a coach also) every e-mail that goes to a player can also go to his parents.. I am sure there is never anything so urgent that it needs to be
texted, unless they can't find a gym or something like that when they are on the road. Young coaches in general need to be helped in the proper way to
communicate with players and parents as well.
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44 and 7 |
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Posts: 26 (12/04/08 20:46:51) |
I would like to add one thing. Your son should not even have his cell phone turned on when he is in class. The coach can e-mail the player and as far as I am
concerned (I am a coach also) every e-mail that goes to a player can also go to his parents.. I am sure there is never anything so urgent that it needs to be
texted, unless they can't find a gym or something like that when they are on the road. Young coaches in general need to be helped in the proper way to
communicate with players and parents as well.
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drdad |
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Posts: 3 (12/05/08 05:52:52) |
Thanks 44 and 7. You are right! He shouldn't have his phone on! Upon inspecting phone bills, the two of them have had up to 5 hours in a day of text
messaging!! Some of that during class time. This guy obviously doesn't have much of a life and my son's phone needs a rest. It's good to hear from
other coaches.
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dzdllfn |
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Posts: 3 (12/09/08 14:06:49) |
Not to scare you or anything but 5 hours in a day sounds like a dysfunctional relationship. You may want to ask other parents if this is going on with their
kids too.
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grnmnky |
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Posts: 2 (12/15/08 12:42:10) |
I'm a parent who also works with this age group and as a rule we don't text students from our personal phones. We actually have a special cell phone
whose only use is for work and text messaging is not allowed, just phone calls. This way, the kids don't contact us personally and only contact us during
work hours. Perhaps it's time for Athletic Directors across the board to talk about this subject and set some good rules? It's a new world filled with
all forms of communication and it can be overwhelming to juggle!!!
Last Edited By: grnmnky
12/15/08 13:02:22.
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