Jason Fite

If you have served in public education for 20 years or more, this post is for you. You are part of the roughly 28% who entered public-school teaching and were still in the profession two decades later. So for the veteran teachers and staff who have served for 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, and beyond, this is to celebrate you! You have endured some of the most difficult changes education has ever faced. You witnessed standardized testing grow into an overwhelming system of high-stakes pressure, excessive data collection, and constant documentation. You adapted to new standards, new technology, new programs, and an endless cycle of initiatives. You carried students and families through COVID, even while facing your own fears, losses, and uncertainty. You have watched respect for educators decline while expectations continued to rise. You have been asked to do more with less, solve problems you did not create, and meet needs that extend far beyond the classroom. And yet, you continued to show up. You taught the lesson again. You encouraged the struggling student. You supported the overwhelmed colleague. You welcomed the nervous parent. You kept schools functioning during some of the toughest years education has ever experienced. Most people will never fully understand what it takes to dedicate decades of your life to serving students, families, and communities. They will never know how many evenings, weekends, personal dollars, and pieces of your heart you have invested. There are adults walking through the world today who are stronger, wiser, and more confident because you once believed in them. To every teacher and staff member who has served for 20 years or more: Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for caring for our children. Thank you!

Attn PE Teachers 🚨 Try this - On the last week of school send 4 kids every 5 minutes to their favorite English or Math teacher and have them say "Can I hang out here, my PE teacher said it was ok since we're not doing anything". Good times 🤣🤣

We’ve created a school system where the students who follow the rules get the least attention… because all the energy goes into managing the ones who don’t.

I communicate with my students that… •If you hang out with 3 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 people, you will be the 4th •If you hang out with 3 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 people, you will be the 4th •If you hang out with 3 𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐬, you will be the 4th

Say it louder!

Life's not fair. The only thing fair in life is a ball hit between first and third.

Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" alongside John Wayne and Walter Brennan in a scene from Rio Bravo (1959). Today marks the 66th Anniversary of the release of John Wayne's beloved Western film Rio Bravo! #JohnWayne #RioBravo #Westerns

BadAss OL coaches understand: 1) A bad sophomore OL can be a dominant senior…never give up on young OL 2) Being a hardass on OL is fine…But a heartfelt compliment will do 10 times the value than a daily ass chewing 3) Protect them from “ idiots” who have no clue what they say

The $200 a day plus expenses was non-negotiable because Rockford needed it to cover his green fees and Nassaus.

Don't think. FEEL!

A sign on the door at our MATC center. What a fantastic reminder to our student athletes that giving 100% is important in all phases of their lives. Study center, weight room, the practice field, the game field, in the community, give it everything you have. #STP

PE kid makes 1 basket in a 10 minute span and yells, "that's what I do!" after the bucket. @coachinggripes Always gets a chuckle.

That's fair, right?

“Many are willing to eat…. But few are willing to hunt….”

If Covid had occurred in the 70s, this would’ve been humanity’s number one weapon …

Teacher: Plans a great hands-on, fun lesson! Student: Slept for 2 hours the night prior because they’re addicted to TikTok Administrator: Comes in and notices uninterested, tired student and comments ‘’What do you think you can do for that student to make them more interested?”

Coaches can get exhausted if they constantly have to motivate and lecture you. Eventually, they may give up on you and focus on kids who actually want to work hard, learn, and improve. You'll regret your immaturity once you have no one helping you.

(Long post alert) I'm going to preach for a minute... I quit coaching football after the 2018 season ended. I had no idea that major changes were on the horizon for the profession. The Head Coach of 2023 has so many different issues that I did not deal with in my many years as a Head Coach. Here are a few..... 1. COVID - I had no idea what this was when I coached. Everything on this list has been impacted (mostly in a negative way) because of COVID. It started a process where everything changed. 2. Transfers - players have always transferred, but the last 5 years have been worse than the 100 years before. It is insane how quickly and how young players are giving up on their home school and moving. It makes it very discouraging to coach at a place that doesn't get the players "showing up". 3. Recruiting - The "transfer portal", "covid year", and "NIL" have completely changed recruiting to something that I can't even recognize from 5 years ago. None of this has helped the HS coach who is getting pressure from parents for unrealistic expectations of scholarships. The parent dynamic has always been tough, but now there are less opportunities. 4. Coach Entitlement - every generation says "the young guys" are not as committed, not as tough, etc...but it feels like it's true. Coaches on their phone at practice, thinking they should be calling plays after they worked 2 weeks, etc. No one wants to learn technique and take pride in being a good position coach. That's the best path to being a coordinator and later a head coach. 5. Parent Entitlement - parents have always been a struggle, but the parent behavior has gotten worse and worse each year. It's worse than it's ever been now. Many admin are scared to deal with it early and it grows and grows. Parents forget the coach is a person and attack them publicly, in-person, behind-their-back, on social media, and anywhere else. It is way too easy and too normal to attack coaches for playing time issues. 6. Impatience - this could be #1. No coach wants to wait for a promotion. No player wants to play on the JV and develop. No parent wants to wait to be the booster club president after they learn from the previous person for a year. Social media was around in 2018, but after everyone sat at home with COVID, it seems to have dominated people's minds and everything is about attention and instant gratification. There is no instant gratification in a successful athletic program. 7. Lack of work from coaches - About 15 years ago, you really started seeing coaches talking about "working smarter" and "no points for working the longest", etc. I think now some people are really taking that to heart and using it as an excuse to not work hard. It takes what it takes and the best staffs are still working a lot of hours and staying late. Just not as late as we had to "back in the day". There is a balance, but many coaches do not want to put the time in now. 8. Lack of respect - this was on the way down in 2018, but it seems to have ramped up worse in past 5 years. All asst coaches should always keep the boss in the loop and they should ask the head coach, "Do you need anything else" before leaving. They should be on time, show up, sit in the front, be a part of the school, care about the place, etc. These were all common years ago, but now can set you apart. 9. Hurt feelings - there is no tolerance for disagreement. Everything seems personal. It's very difficult to be a coach and keep score when EVERYTHING is sensitive and personal. There must be healthy debates, disagreements, and conflicts to achieve success. It is harder in the current climate than it has ever been. People always ask me, "do you miss it?". Of course, the answer is "YES". But I don't miss these things that my friends and colleagues are dealing with daily. I sometimes feel jealous of them but most of the time feel guilty that I got out before I had to deal with it with them. I'll end with this.... I feel real bad that so many really, really, really good young coaches out there now never got to be around in the "good ol' days". I was coming in at the end of them, but I really cherished the old timers I knew that taught me football. I hope all you guys find that rare mentor that can teach you. Coaching is an amazing profession and it is worth saving.