Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I'm happy that most of the kids participated in my activities and enjoyed it, as well as proved my answer correct. My EQ is: what is the best way a girl's softball team can win CIF and my answer was: constantly verbalizing what you are doing in the field. When we were doing my 30 minute activity, I told them they couldn't take and people like Ronny Martinez, found alternatives and it was quite great to see.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
The different mentors I use and sports to determine what was the "best way" a team can win CIF really helped me see what other sport coaches do and how they are similar.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I needed to slow down my talking and really pronounce every word because I kept mispronouncing since I was so nervous, but what's done is done.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
Coaching is the same as teaching someone something so I've gained better communication skills that will allow me to use in future jobs, especially since iPoly has taught me to present and my mentorships have help me find solutions and learn to teach not only kids but young adults like myself.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Content:

LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

• Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
• Contact Name and Mentorship Place

Jason Rochwerg: (714) 365-5635 / Mentorship Place: Sierra Vista Middle School

Julius Johnson: (909) 721- 4994 / Mentorship Place: Southland's High School

Jennifer Dorado: (626) 330- 0777 / Mentorship Place: La Puente High 

    Interpretive

     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I learned that there is many ways you can gain respect as a coach but being trusted from both parents and athletes is pretty hard. Athletes can see you as either a cool and relaxing coach, which is okay with most parents but not all. And if you're too hard on the kids, parents complain. 

   Applied

     How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.
With every game and practice I've experienced I got a better knowledge of what my answers could be but once I got that figured the examples and hands-on experience came naturally. My first answer is constantly verbalizing what you are doing in the field, which actually showed a combination of teamwork and commitment due to the fact that working together to achieve a goal is helpful just like constantly saying what you're doing on the field to help win a game. My second answer is contact with the ball because seeing where it goes and being able to predict the outcomes of the play can help you win. Which finally brings me to my third answer, games are usually decided by 1 run. Everyone on your team can be the difference in a win. The best way a girl's softball team can win CIF is determined by every hit every player takes.

Blog 20: Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?

EQ: What is the best way a girls' softball team can win CIF (California Interscholastic Federation)?

Answers 1: Character // Answer 2: Teamwork // Answer 3: Commitment // Best Answer: #2

I chose my second answer as my best answer because it was a common answer I saw being played out throughout my journey to answer my EQ. For my actual mentoring hours I mentored with Jennifer at LPHS and for my independent component 2 I coached middle school softball and one key thing that these two teams didn't have in common, besides the obvious, was the amount of teamwork that was shown throughout games and practices.


(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

How I decided that my 2rd answer, teamwork, was my best answer was when my mentor Jason Rochwerg trusted me enough to let me coach a few games and practices. There were 5 out 14 members of the team that have had prior experience and were honestly the people who made most of the runs, catches, and hits but also the main people who would should up to practice whenever they felt like it. These players knew they were the top players because not only were they on a city league team while playing for school, or had already played for a league, they knew the rules like second nature while the rest of the players on the team were new to the concept of being on a team or the sport even. 

There was this kid, Bryan (8th grader), who was our pitcher and was very good at it too because he got an average of 3 out of 5 players out with a strike. Now, Bryan knew very well he was a good athlete and no one else on the team could pitch as well as him so he would constantly decide that he didn't need to go to practice because he simply "did not need it." My mentor Jason is very understanding when it comes to family issues or school work, but Bryan never gave a good excuse. He never lied either. He constantly verbalized that he didn't need practice because he already gets the practice with his other team and Jason asked him "what does your league team have that this team doesn't," and Bryan answered with, what I took as a personal insult, "an actual chance of winning." Now winning is important but when you have a team of people who are new to the sport or have never played a sport, you're more likely not going to win but improvement is definitely the outcome of it and Bryan didn't get that. He was more committed to a team he knew would win versus and team he knew wouldn't and as much as I hate his mentality on that, I was proven to do the same thing when my first independent component.

I joined Southlands Christian High School girl's basketball team and it was the same as the team I coached because only 5 girls knew the sport and were really good at it and I was one of them. I was really committed to the team, I went to all summer practices and even stayed late to get some more practice in because it was a while since I played but once the season started Julius Johnson, the coach, was teaching the sport from the beginning since we had players who have never touched a basketball. I love helping people as much as I possibly can so I did show up to all practices 4 out of 6 days a week for 2 months but after a while it got boring because there was so much I had to hold off on. I started to miss practice and caught myself not being as involved with the team as I was when I started and I forced myself back on the team and finished what I started and very glad I did.

Bryan and I had that in common because he was also very satisfied with the outcome of the team as well as became really good friends with people on the team.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

Bryan was the main person to cause most problems with teamwork but definitely wasn't the only one. After every practice or game Jason liked to reflect and emphasize on what went well and what we as a team can do to improve. (sound familiar? Like, an iPoly method)

He really let me know that I had just as much authority over the team as he did because of how well the kids respected me and how great my ideas were. Now, I usually don't like to take over but when he said that I immediately said I was going to change the rules he had about practice. His rules were if you missed practice and don't have an valid excuse you wouldn't start but I wanted to change it to you wouldn't play. I understand it's such a big step to not let them play but they are in middle school and they have to learn now before they get into high school that when you are in a team you have to be respect everything the team as a whole has to offer or there will be consequences. A lot of the kids felt like this rule was fair and the only people who didn't were the kids who were constantly missing. We had to forfeited two games due to the fact that those 5 kids thought I wasn't being serious and we didn't have enough players to play because 5 of them were benched. It sucks yes, I get it and the kids hated me but they had to understand this was a team effort and not a 5 player team.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

My mentor Jason Rochwerg from Sierra Vista Middle School and Julius Johnson from Southlands Christian High School because they both helped me not only find answers for my EQ but also without knowingly provided perfect examples of the cause and effect of them. With Jason I learned more about commitment and with Julius I learned more about character but together they taught me how important we have to show teamwork is.

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response.  It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) I, Darlene, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

• My mentor Jason Rochwerg and the softball team from Sierra Vista Middle School

(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).   Post it next to your mentorship log.

• Done.

(d) Explanation of what you completed.    

• I got my hands on experience with coaching thanks to my mentor who allowed me to completely coach 4 softball games. 2 home and 2 away games. I had to come up with my own plays and the hitting line-up. I played a lot with the positions of the players because a lot of them believed they were good at playing only on position but that was not the case at all. You know what they say, you never really know how good you are at something unless you try.

INTERPRETIVE 
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 
With my mentors Jennifer and Jason, I wanted to focus on the different coaching philosophy that take into play. In my first interview with Jennifer she stated that a male coach would not be able to coach a girls' softball team as well as a female coach because of the lack of the female body knowledge. It was really a goal of mine right after hearing that, to find a male coach and compare the differences. I had predicted that it shouldn't matter and I was proven correct. Yes methods of teaching are completely different but lead to the exact same outcome.

Successful game day!

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." 

-Michael Jordan

           

So today I coached my very first softball game with minor help from my mentor Jason. I was really nervous but the kids are awesome and listened to everything I had to say plus asked questions on anything they needed clarification on and even gave me suggestions on the position's of players that could be changed. The respect level the kids have not only for me but in general makes them very coachable which made my first time really fun! The game took place at Lassalette Middle School at 3 but I went to go buy gatorade and waters for the kids to drink because apparently they don't bring water and being hydrated during a game is very important. I met them at the school around 1:50 and helped them warm up with catching and throwing.

One thing I noticed during the game was that the kids need to practice on their running. Most of them could have been saved at first base but they ran really slow and those 14 home runs could have easily been 20 if they RAN. I told my mentor if I could run practice on tuesday of next week (4/15/14) because I wanted to do drills that help improve running speed as well as create better endurance. Hopefully the kids don't hate me because I know it's been really hot lately but a little sweat never killed anyone!

Our next away game will be this Monday (4/14/14) at Sparks Middle School and I won't be coaching but I will be assisting and we're told this school has experienced players but as long as the kids keep doing what they've been learning at practice, they can win ANY team.

Independent Component update

"Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating everyday. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I could still do it." -Andre Agassi

Today was actually really fun and I did a lot of running at practice since I warmed up the team and helped with cleaning up the batting because they have a game tomorrow at Lassalette Middle School @ 3, which I will be attending. The kids are all so amazing and very determined but understanding. Understanding that they're not that great of a team but as long as they work together and communicate they can go far. I can't wait to see them play tomorrow again. I'm going to surprise them with gatorade since they never bring drinks to keep them hydrated.

• Coach Rochwerg is the one on your left in that huge hat that he loves and won't take off haha.
• This is just a picture of the kids playing as if it were a real game with a few audience members.

Great News :-) / NEW INDEPENDENT COMPONENT

I went to my old middle school yesterday with a friend of mine to watch her little sister play softball. I stayed to help the team pick up and the coach started talking to me asking what high school I went to and the subject of my senior topic came up and he said if I wanted to make hours by coaching his softball team, i'm more than welcome to! So of course I said yes, which means I have a new independent component!
Coaching these middle school kids is perfect because what i'm learning with my mentor I can apply them and plus doing my hours at Southland's was getting complicated since the coach would never let me know when to go and what times were good for him. 

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. 

- Vincent T. Lombardi