Coaches Corner with Jessie Barletta
We are so excited to introduce a new blog series called Coaches Corner! This series is an opportunity for the Inclyousion Sports community to hear directly from our talented coaches and we know you’re going to love learning about them and from them!
Hello blog world! My name is Jessie Barletta and I am the Regional Head Coach of the North Shore. I have been working with Greg and Kristen since September when Inclyousion Sports began. I have loved working for them and getting to know all of the kids and families! Ever since high school I knew I wanted to work with kids. I went on to college to be a Physical Therapist Assistant with the goal of working in pediatrics. I got my first job in a school district about 3 months after receiving my license! I was then offered a job at Boston Children’s Hospital and have learned SO MUCH from that experience. I had to leave Children’s because I am currently finishing up my masters degree to become a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. This job is working with students who have vision impairments and my goal is to be back in a school system! The job will include orienting students to their environment and moving around the building and their community with independence. My passion has been working with kids in the school environment to help them become successful students and trying to have fun while we learn!
Now that you know a little about me, I am here to talk about what it is like to be a coach with Inclyousion Sports. We work with so many kids we get to see a lot of different personalities, behaviors, and emotions. These qualities can be positive or challenging. As coaches we implement different strategies to help them to learn to be a team player, a good friend, and how to play each of the games and sports. You may be wondering what kinds of strategies do you use when a child is struggling and showing us behaviors? My answer to that is it depends! In my 8 years of working with children I have learned and used a lot of “tools in my tool box” so let’s talk about a few of them.
Making a schedule
For all kids AND adults, knowing what to expect can help with preventing non preferred behavior or anxiety. We make sure we have a written schedule for every class. We also have picture schedules available for kids who rely on the schedule and do not read yet.
Let’s break it down
Learning something new can be hard and a little scary. As coaches, we make sure each game or activity is broken down into simple explanations. We do this by incorporating different styles of learning. We will verbally go through each step of the activity while at the same time visually showing them what to do. Some kids learn by doing, so while the students are going through the tasks, we provide one on one assistance, explanation or modifications as needed. The goal is to have the kids understand what to do, feel confident doing it, and to have fun!
Communication
I find a lot of the time behaviors come out when a child is either unable to communicate or does not feel like they are being heard. It is important to give each child the attention they need to feel seen, heard, respected, understood, and loved. When this type of situation is happening either myself or one of the other amazing coaches will take the time to talk to the child. I always make sure I bend down to their level. This helps with maintaining eye contact and gives a non verbal cue that you are there to help them and listen to them. If they are able to tell you what is bothering them they are encouraged to express their feelings and we can find a way to fix the problem. If they are unable to or have a harder time communicating, we will try to figure out what’s going on by talking to their parent/guardian as they know their child best. I will also try talking to someone on our team because they could have seen exactly what had happened to cause their behavior. Another strategy I use that tends to work is using first then statements. For example, first we need to throw 2 more times, then we will put our hands in! If the child knows what is to come, they will (sometimes) continue with the activity. Communication from child to staff is very important, however we as coaches try to be clear with our communication as well. After teaching and implementing the activity, we make sure we have a count down towards the end of each activity. I will say “1 more minute!” then count down from 10 or 5. This gives the children enough time to make sure they get their last few throws or kicks, or whatever the activity is finished.
A lot of energy!
There are always those kids who have a lot of energy and are excited about being in an open gym or field. Sometimes they show their excitement by running around the room or being verbally distracting to other kids and they are unable to calm their bodies down alone. Offering one on one coaching with that student during the class has been very helpful! Constant positive reinforcement to all the kids can help them stay focused on what the class is doing. I find that it makes them want to continue showing parents and staff how well they can do the activity.
Redirection
Redirecting is a strategy we use often, especially if a child is in a situation where they are showing unsafe behaviors. We will redirect them to either a different activity, modify the activity, or switch them to a different group of children. Changing their environment or activity can help to calm them down and help to improve their emotions and feelings to be more positive.
All of the coaches that work for Inclyousion Sports know all of these strategies and have been thoroughly trained in implementing them! If you have any questions about anything talked about here or how to implement other strategies please feel free to reach out!
Would you like to learn more about being an Inclyousion Sports coach? Send us an email!
