Holt Lacrosse, a community of dedicated coaches and players, is a remarkable entity that embodies the spirit of lacrosse. This organization is not just about teaching children to play a sport; it’s about instilling values, fostering leadership, and bringing people together. Parents and coaches work in perfect harmony with an aim to teach children how to play the sport of lacrosse but also how to be exemplary individuals off the field. The “win at all costs mentality” has no place in this organization. Coaches and parents understand that you do not need to hear a word to know what is the best possible way to teach anything to anyone. “Lead by example” is an old adage that applies everywhere but especially in a team sport environment. As you can imagine, every time you yell at your kid they simply want to win at all costs for you to be proud of them. Eventually, it’s not about winning anymore but rather about doing your best in all circumstances and making your coaches, parents and teammates proud of you for your continuous improvement. Coaches and parents of these kids understand this philosophy better than anyone else.

This community model, healthy childhood development design, and dual engrained philosophy is not entirely different from online education, specifically online teaching law jobs. Society has long understood that the population is too large to maintain a physical presence to make a real effect on potential attorneys, teachers and doctors. Prior to the advent of the Internet, people understood that being in attendance at a physical location did not guarantee you will be able to learn a skill, pass a course and be a good lawyer, teacher or doctor. It is no secret that most knowledge is gleaned from independent study because this is where you make your mistakes and learn from them. Online education is no different. Online teaching law jobs allow you the flexibility to work around your personal life in a way that a physical location simply cannot.

However, as is the case with coaching lacrosse, being an online educator means that the job requires you to do more than the minimum. Teachers are educators but they are also coaches and mentors to their students. Their actions actually do speak louder than their words. All the philosophies and training methods they speak about in the required coursework, students have a front row view to how it is done effectively. For example, in the classroom, educators have many avenues to capture the attention of their students. The key is to know your audience. When coaches are on the practice field with students, they understand the psychology of the teenage athlete and their motivations. They communicate with them based on their unique sports and personal experiences…it is a one-on-one conversation that is rooted in first hand practice.

Coaches and parents do not go to the games or practices of their kids to yell at them or give them instructions from the bleachers. That is unsportsmanlike conduct and not permitted. Teachers come to the classroom with their resumes and experience while coaches and parents come to the field with their experience and stories. In both online education and the sports environment, there is an expectation that in order to make a difference (whether it be coaching or teaching), you need to lead by example. You can instruct your students by sending them to the library or sending them reading assignments but you must still find a way to engage with them and develop that rapport that allows you the leverage to make a difference. You will not be able to grab them by their chin and look them in the eye because that is considered inappropriate. However, you must come with a plan that says, I am here to give you the opportunity to improve and to make the most of this opportunity.

The insistence on excellence is what guarantees you will have an opportunity to make a difference. Teaching and coaching are sister professions in that they both require you to play your role and do your job despite the lack of immediate feedback. In both cases, you have a time frame where you get to teach, coach, lead and impact a life in the hope that they carry your philosophies with them and become more than what they would have without you as their teacher, coach, mentor, etc.

For more information on the impact of online education, you can visit Wikipedia.

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