Fandom

 "There is always next year". 

This can be said so many times by so many people every year. Whether it is 10U Baseball, High School Football, or your favorite professional team, this encompasses thousands if not millions of people's thoughts every year. Only one team can be crowned a champion and that is part of the heartbreak of sports and what makes people yearn for more the next year. 

While it is always important to reflect on your previous season and the highs that came from it, everyone has the ultimate goal of winning the championship. "This year is different" was a common phrase stated by Pat Murphy and those around the organization throughout the season and in preparation for a playoff run. I think that is why this one hurts a little more, Murphy, the organization and us fans truly felt like this was a different group. You had the brashness of former college coach, Pat Murphy at the helm and the team really embraced his toughness and "Win tonight" mentality. While they may have "over-achieved" all season, they played a different style of baseball that was fun, engaging and empowered the fan base.

What a game, the Brewers were winning 2-0 going into the 9th and the game could not have gone better for the Brewers. From Jake Bauers hitting a pinch-hit Home Run to the pitching lining up perfectly and everyone doing their job. That leads us to one of the best closers in baseball, Devin Williams with a 2-0 lead in the 9th. Unfortunately it was not Devin's best day as he allowed his first Home Run in months that ended up leading to a 4-2 Mets victory over the Brewers. After the game Devin Williams stated, "Everyone did their job except me... no one feels worse than I do."

While this was a difficult loss for thousands of fans, seeing the impact it had on the players after the game, most notably Christian Yelich, shows you just how much this organization means to everyone involved. Yelich was clearly emotional talking to reporters after the game as 93 year-old Brewers radio announcer, Bob Uecker, went around the locker room talking to and gathering the team. Watch Yelich's interview below. 

That is the harsh reality of sports, one pitch or play can completely change a teams fortunes. No matter what they deserve or how hard a group worked, everything can be over with one swing of the bat. While that is the harsh reality of sports, it is also the power of sports and why we all love sports so much. The connection that we feel to our team and organization can never be taken away which is why every year millions of people always say "There is always next year". 

The World of Education in 2021

 As I think about my 7 years in education now, I think of so many great stories, coworkers, students and growth but I cannot leave out all the hardships and challenges that those around me have gone through. I remember writing my blog in 2020 about taking advantage of the opportunities that 2020 provided instead of complaining about the year and I am here to say from my perspective and plenty of other educators around the world, 2021 has been more challenging than 2020. 

I have compiled some quotes and takes from recent articles I have read about the world of education in 2021. The first article is from Alan Borsuk in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While I am not the biggest fan of a lot of his work, they always make me think and question things. One of his most recent articles, The kids are watching. What are they learning from adult behavior lately?, brought up some interesting quotes and ideas to me.

The first is from a school board member who was selling raffle tickets at a football game near Milwaukee. 

He was selling fundraising raffle tickets at a high school football game. A parent came up to him and said, “Are you the guy who voted to mask our children?” The board member said yes. The parent called him several names. The board member said, “Have a nice day.” The parent called him some more names. The board member again said, “Have a nice day.” The guy left.  

A student was standing nearby and said, “All that just to buy a raffle ticket?”

That story to me is all that needs to be said. Students and children are watching us at all times as educators, neighbors, parents, and friends. They see how we interact with each other at school, at home and in the community and they can see the divide that is not only shaping our schools but our country. How can we expect the students to act appropriately, feel safe, be positive and learn if the adults around them cannot model that behavior?

The next couple quotes have a personal tie to my job and what I do every single day. As a Special Education teacher for students with Emotional Behavior Disorder, I see the lack of social-emotional health all day, everyday. Whether it is students showing that they need attention and love or if they are showing they need someone to care for them and believe in them. Every student has their own social-emotional needs that need to be met and need to be at the forefront of all education. This cannot just be a priority for students in Special Education; the last year and a half has taken it's toll on so many children that we cannot expect them to learn, grow and make up the academic progress they missed if they do not have their personal and social-emotional needs met first.

“Socio-emotional health of everyone, lack of staff across the board (subs, bus drivers, teachers, paraprofessionals). The wherewithal of employees to maintain this pace, along with the uptick in behaviors being demonstrated by students related to trauma before the COVID experience and due to COVID.

“We are being forced to rethink schools through this pandemic, yet continue to forge ahead without acknowledging that we are in the midst of a pandemic. It has impacted everyone from the standpoint of overall loss (instructional loss, family loss, job loss, housing loss, economic loss, structural loss, food scarcity, etc.). Collectively, something has got to change.”

In another article I recently read from Education Weekly, a teacher of 25 years who retired this summer had this to say. 

“I’ve never burned out on the kids. I’ve never burned out on my subject,” said Anne Sylvester, a former high school English teacher who left the profession this summer after more than 25 years in order to protect her mental health. “I’ve always enjoyed teaching, but the rest of it is exhausting and chronic.”

The article in Education Weekly focused on the growing demands placed on teachers in the last 10 years and how the pandemic has caused even more stress with these demands. The following quote from the article gets at the fact that teachers feel like there is nothing anyone can do to support them and give them what they need. Whether they are struggling with larger class sizes, teaching virtually and in person, lack of resources, lack of time, growing demands of test scores, or lack of training to support students social-emotional needs, educators are drowning and they feel like there is nothing administrators can do to support them. How are the students supposed to feel safe and enjoy learning if the educators around them cannot wrap their head around what they are supposed to be focusing on every single day?

Encouraging yoga or meditation can’t make up for systemic issues that cause stress, experts say. “You can’t deep-breathe your way out of a pandemic; you cannot stretch your way out of terrible class sizes; you cannot ‘individual behavior’ your way out of structural problems,” said Chelsea Prax, the programs director of children’s health and well-being at the American Federation of Teachers. “Those are effective coping measures, but they don’t change the problem.”

Another article I read recently was a blog post about How Teachers are barely hanging on and one of the interesting takes from that was about all the responsibilities teachers have and their thoughts:

For most teachers, this level of micromanagement is completely unnecessary; whether their work is documented or not, they’ll still do good work. Ironically, the time it takes to document their work is more likely to weaken its quality than improve it. The time lost in writing full, formal lesson plans every day is time that could be used to conference with a student, watch a video about an innovative technique, or restructure an activity that isn’t quite working. 

This blog came back to two huge concepts for me, Trust and Time. Whether that was the reason for the pain educators are feeling currently or if that goes into the solution. Those two concepts are hand in hand and need to be addressed for educators to feel safe and supported again. Some interesting notes from the blog to help support Time and Trust:

• Cut back on Testing and Data Analysis, focus on the relationships and trust built in the classroom
• No new initiatives, again just focus on what educators can do to support students in this post-pandemic time
• Hire help for administrative, clerical and supervisory work: Whether it is more coordinators, coaches, specialists to support teachers and bounce ideas off of for each other. Providing a school with someone to help with scheduling so it does not fall on secretary, principal, teacher every single day as they deal with teacher, aide and substitute shortages. (This is a personal favorite of mine as people have no idea the amount of time spent on schedules and changes that need to be made daily based on staff shortages.)
• Compensation for extra work- If teachers are covering another teacher because there is no sub, compensate them for it!
• Talk to the educators: Get their feel for what is going on and what they are drowning with then include them in decision making so they feel valued!

Another story that I saw this week that I thought would be beneficial to this post was a video from CBS Evening news. A school in Louisiana had 23 students arrested over the course of 3 days this year due to fights at the school. A group of 40 dad's took it on themselves to change the dynamic and culture of the school and they have succeeded. Please take 3 minutes to watch this video clip and realize the impact that positive attitudes can have on a school.  

Dad's on Duty

I will finish with this quote from Alan Borsuk's first article that was mentioned. I think it just reiterates the fact that the students are watching us at all times, whether it is in the classroom, in the hallway, at a football game or at the grocery store. What do we want to show them?

One of the highest-impact lessons parents – and all adults — teach their children is how to treat other people, how to handle disagreements and stresses, how to navigate life and its problems each day, how to set and pursue our priorities. And they teach all this by example, whether for better or worse. These are classic do-as-I-do matters.   

A Summer of Opportunity

 As we all had a different 2020 one way or another, I think we can all agree that 2020 showed us we need to appreciate any opportunity we are given. I was fortunate enough to have a summer in 2021 that was filled with family, friends, milestones, work, vacations and opportunity. 

Summer for me started with buying a house. While things are still in the process of being touched up, upgraded, etc, I could not be happier with where I ended up and the space that I now get to call home. A huge THANK YOU goes out to my parents for their endless support and help with moving even if I got all the junk from them downsizing that I may or may not have wanted😉. Below are some pictures of my house after painting 3 rooms, installing new carpet and lots and lots of cleaning. 

(Click this link to see pictures of the new Koehler Kave)

I was also then able to embark on a crazy 16 days of summer where I had a lot of traveling, moving and fun! It started with a college roommate wedding, and while we may be getting older (just guess my age now), you still cannot replace the love and enjoyment that a wedding brings. Following that I traveled to Omaha for 5 days for a recruiting trip but was also able to experience my 1st ever College World Series. Even though I was in attendance for one of the strangest games of my life when NC State had COVID eliminate half their team, the CWS is something that any baseball fan needs to experience. 

After returning from Omaha I headed to the Wisconsin Dells for another 4 day recruiting trip. And don't worry while doing that I closed and moved into my new house as well. Still not sure how all that happened at the same time. Ohh and I forgot to mention also got to enjoy my 1st Country Jam experience with some wonderful coworkers, seeing a good friends first born and a Bucks NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Then the past 11 days I went on the trip of a lifetime with a great friend and brother. This was a trip that sounds great as a plan and on paper but it surpassed expectations! We were able to continue our goal of seeing every Major League Baseball stadium while also experiencing some historic and touristy cities. We were able to experience the history and passion that Red Sox fans have at Fenway to the 9/11 museum in New York City. All in all visiting the following cities and stadiums is something that I will never forget: (If you click each link/city it will take you to pictures from that trip)

• Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia along with the Rocky steps and the Liberty Bell
• Fenway Park in Boston and all the old houses and streets
• Citi Field in New York along with 9/11 Museum, Empire State Building, and Madison Square Garden
• Yankee Stadium in New York while also seeing Central Park, and Statue of Liberty
• Nationals Stadium in Washington D.C. along with all the monuments in DC
• Camden Yards in Baltimore, the beautiful harbor and Babe Ruth's childhood house
• Progressive Field in Cleveland while seeing Owen Miller and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

While I hope you enjoy looking through some of the pictures from my summer, I have to remember that 2020 showed us the value in embracing each day and opportunity you are given. Now on to my 7th year in education.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Never in my 27 years of life have I felt like as a community, state, and country have we been so divided. Whether it be through education, athletics, politics, civil rights, or just a random action during the day, it is obvious that there is a clear divide right now in our country. On this day, 11/11/20, Veterans Day 2020, I want to take the time to remember why we are all here and the purpose of our life as citizens of the UNITED States of America. (Let's let Kid History explain a little bit about Veterans Day)

As I think about Veterans day and the crises going on throughout our country right now, I can not help but think about the idea of being thankful for what we have. Over 100 years ago now the citizens of the UNITED States of America came together to celebrate the end of World War I. Ever since this, our country has come together and tackled whatever challenges arise. Has adversity hit this community, state and country? Absolutely but has it ever divided a country like it has in the year 2020? Just in my lifetime some of the defining moments I remember in this country include 9/11, the Boston Marathon Bombings, the Sikh Temple shooting, and Hurricane Katrina. When I think back to these tragic events, there is always a sense of pride about how we as Americans UNITED and became stronger as a nation through our responses to these tragedies. Sadly, I do not know if during this year of 2020 whether it be the COVID-19 pandemic, the election, educational decisions, or Civil Rights issues, if we as a county have put our own agendas aside to UNITE and become a stronger nation. 

I am currently reading, The Power of Moments by Dan and Chip Heath. It has become clear to me while reading this powerful source that we as Americans right now need to embrace each moment we are given. We are provided with defining moments in our lives daily, weekly and monthly. It is our preparation, actions, and reactions to what happens daily that defines the type of defining moment we have. Are we embracing the opportunities we are presented with each day? How are we making each moment a positive defining moment? When you went to work today, did you just follow your normal routine or did you do something different to impact your feelings or to make someone else's day? Dan and Chip Heath extensively break down what makes a defining moment and what we can do to build more peaks within our days and lives. One idea that really stood out to me is the idea of "breaking the script". Just the idea of doing something different, which raises emotional and sensory appeal, allows for a positive defining moment in your day. As an educator if I do one thing that is out of the norm for one student a day, I am now creating peak moments every day in my students lives. School, occupations, livelihoods become boring and routine based, finding a way to break the normalcy of your routines will create more peak and defining moments in your life. 

Why do we need these peaks and defining moments in our days? Right now as a country, I would argue we have never needed these peaks and positive defining moments more. Every day we are presented with opportunities and our preparation and responses to these opportunities will result in either more of the status quo or will provide ourselves, our families, our friends, and our coworkers with the peaks that are needed to become more UNITED as a workforce, as a family, as an education system and as a country. 

When as a community, a state, and a country will we put our own agenda aside and do what we can to help one another and to create positive defining moments for those around us? That is when we will truly be able to move on and move through this year of 2020. The epidemic of 2020 will not stop at the change of a calendar, we as people need to UNITE and come together to tackle all the issues going on in our communities. Just as our Veterans have come together for hundreds of years as they have battled for our freedom, we need to come together as a nation to battle for our future and our livelihood. 

I am going to end this post with a preview link to one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. Honor Flight is a must watch for any American and hopefully can help us all remember the sacrifices that have been made by others who have put their country before themselves. 

Honor Flight Trailer

Honor Flight Movie

UNITED WE STAND, divided we fall. UNITE AMERICANS. 

White Privilege

Last week I was caught asking myself, "Why are all these college coaches, famous athletes and such ALL releasing statements about the injustice going on in the world?" It wasn't that I did not agree with them, I was just surprised at the amount of statements being released and I wondered if they were just "token" statements to try and fit in. I questioned the legitimacy of some of the statements and people making them. After further reflection throughout the week and being able to participate in a rally, protest, and march, I realized it is much more than a "token" statement.

I realized that in order for change to effectively happen we as a society can not keep standing behind these issues and can not be afraid of talking about it. That is the purpose of all the statements that were made by people in leadership positions who have a strong voice. They are saying "enough is enough" and it is time that we all become aware of this situation and educate ourselves in order to solve the deep rooted, long standing issue of systemic racism in our country.

I have to thank countless educators, friends and others who challenged my thinking throughout high school and college about White Privilege. Whether it was an educator telling us at Grafton High School about a friend who he knows who got pulled over in Ozaukee County for "DWB" (Driving while Black) or a Diversity in Education course at UWEC with one of the most powerful and challenging professors I ever had, all these educational opportunities opened my eyes to the systemic racism problem in our country.

Now for those of that do not know, I grew up in a predominately white suburb of Milwaukee where in the early 2000's we were one of the top 20 richest counties in the country and had a top 5 lowest unemployment rate in the country. I was very fortunate to grow up in this area and community that also had a very strong education system. Now for those of you familiar with the streets of Milwaukee, I want you to imagine that I was born, lived, and grew up on 35th and Center St. Think about the lack of experiences I would have had growing up (Little League, Mel's Charities, strong church family, strong neighborhood, strong education system, etc.) and how different my white life may be. Why does where I was born and raised affect so much of the opportunities given to me, it goes back to Redlining (please read the link for a history on Redlining) and segregating neighborhoods which has oppressed black and other races for years in this country. So just imagine how different my life would be if I did not have these opportunities to grow and flourish in a nurturing and strong educational environment. THAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE. Taking all those things into account, now I want you to imagine that while I was growing up on 35th and Center I was black. The idea of growing up and seeing Police as being safe is now gone and out the window. Not only do I not get the same athletic, academic and social opportunities but now the people who you are supposed to trust the most who are there to protect you, I cannot trust. And due to longstanding issues with not only the Police but other white Americans, I cannot feel safe and protected in America (land of the free).  I am looked at as different all because I was born 20 miles south from where I grew up and am a different color.

So no I did not work harder to get where I am today, I was given opportunities to succeed because of where I was born and my race. THAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE AND SYSTEMIC RACISM.

And that is just the beginning of the difficulties of growing up as a black individual in this country means. I heard Emmanuel Acho (former NFL player) this week while describing what it was like to grow up as an African American in the US and it had a profound impact on me. He said something as simple as he always tries to be the first one off the elevator so the white people on the elevator are not threatened and do not think that he wants to cause harm. How crazy is that?! African Americans in this country not only cannot feel safe out in the community, with police officers but they have to even question and worry about being black while being in an elevator. THAT IS SYSTEMIC RACISM.

I also want to state that people who try to make this a political debate or a debate about the flag, you are missing the point. This is about bringing awareness to a social injustice that has been going on way too long in this country. I do not care if you are Republican, Democratic, part of the Green Party or any other political system, we need to bring this issue to light because it is the right thing to do and an issue that needs to be solved for Black Lives to Matter in this country and to feel safe and respected. And for those of you who are upset with "protesters" looting buildings, people have tried for years to bring light to this SYSTEMIC RACISM issue peacefully (Colin Kaepernick) and we (myself included) have ignored it. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who also protested peacefully over 60 years ago) said "A riot is the language of the unheard".

The goal of this piece is not to cause a debate or argument but it is to try and educate and create civil conversations about this very strong issue in our country. Thank you to all the people who have impacted my view on this and shared their thoughts and stories, I now feel it is time to share mine. Once again we need to begin this conversation because things will not change without these uncomfortable conversations. My hope is that by reading this your eyes are opened a little bit and you begin to understand the systemic racism issue in this country. One of the best things we can do right now to begin to tackle this issue is to educate ourselves, have difficult conversations, and bring awareness to this pandemic that is going on in our country.

Above is an impactful 3 minute video by Gregg Popovich and his thoughts on this situation and race. Below are some ways you can begin to educate yourself and begin to fight this systemic problem in our country. Thank you to LaVall Jordan (Butler Basketball Coach) for sharing these resources.

Quarantine Life... Get 1% Better Every Day

Quarantine and COVID-19 has changed society as we knew it and it has been a challenging time for many people. First and foremost, I hope and pray that we as a community, country and world are able to overcome COVID-19, experiencing the least amount of harm possible. While it may have affected our daily lives of going to the store, going to a local restaurant, going to work, participating or watching sports, the #1 priority in all of this is we help each other and keep as many people as possible stay safe and healthy. 

Now, the reason I put the tweet at the top is I read that this morning and it really resonated with me. I truly believe that your daily motto/energy will guide you during this time. You can choose to attack these days with a positive mindset as outlined by Jon Gordon in Energy Bus (My favorite read so far during this quarantine) and in turn you will be granted with life changing opportunities. One of my favorite parts of Energy Bus is the idea of E (Event) + P (Perception or Positive Energy) = O (Outcome). There are events that happen to us daily (quarantine) that we have no control over, but your energy and mindset can result in a positive outcome no matter the event. 

During this quarantine time, I have been pushing myself to become a better coach, educator and person. I have been surrounding myself with learning opportunities in various formats while also still being able to connect with others and serve others. If you follow me on Twitter (@CoachK_WI) you will have seen almost daily posts with me getting the opportunity to listen and follow some of the best baseball coaches in the world. In the last month I have been fortunate enough to participate in over 50 zoom calls or coaching clinics/conferences. I have been able to challenge my thinking as a coach, listen to and follow some of my coaching idols and grow my overall knowledge of leadership and coaching. I also want to thank Baseball Coaches Insider and ABCA for giving out free videos from previous Clinics or Presentations. Being able to go back and watch Tim Corbin from 2008 and Augie Garrido present is something that would not have happened if it were not for these service providers providing content to better coaches. 

I cannot stress enough, how much the mindset of Get 1% Better Every Day has impacted me during the last month. Waking up every day and looking at it as an opportunity to better myself as an educator, coach and person is something that I cannot take for granted. I am able to watch, listen and follow future Hall of Fame coaches while taking endless amounts of notes. These days have provided an outlet for me to grow in so many ways. Being able to read numerous books, listen to podcasts, reflect on personal practices, partake in Zoom calls, and being able to connect with my students virtually are all things that I have been looking forward to every day during this unprecedented time.

While I have been pushed during this time in many ways to better myself, this time is not over. That is why I am writing this now. I want to reach people and want people to embrace the idea of bettering themselves a little bit every day during this quarantine and beyond. Whether it is writing a journal, listening to a podcast on positivity, downloading the Ten Percent Happier App, starting your own blog, I challenge you to use these next weeks during quarantine to wake up every day and try to grow yourself in some manner. Become a better coach, teacher, parent, brother, sister, whatever it is- get 1% better every day. Attack the day with a positive mindset and see how much you can grow in the coming weeks!

My last note will come from a Podcast I was listening to today. Sheets, (Who has put so much of this phenomenal baseball content out there and that has driven me to better myself) asked CJ Gillman (Cincinnati Reds Hitting Coordinator) "What has becoming a lifelong learner done for you?" And this answer resonated with me as this has been my thought process every day during quarantine and CJ Gillman responded with "It has provided me a sense of purpose". Bingo, that is what all these learning opportunities daily have given me, they have presented me with a purpose and a drive to become a better coach, educator and person. So to Sheets and anyone else who has provided content out there to better myself during this time, Thank you!

A Year in the UP... Next up UWEC

Well another adventure awaits. I was very fortunate and blessed to spend this past school year in two environments that have allowed me to grow as an educator and coach.

This past August, I took a leap of faith and moved to the UP to pursue an assistant coaching position at Finlandia University. I had no idea what this would entail or mean for my future. It led to a year of learning and growth and has now allowed me the opportunity to go back to my alma mater, University Wisconsin-Eau Claire, as an assistant baseball coach as they bring their program back from their hiatus since 1995. It is crazy to think that just 8 months ago I was moving to the UP as a first time college baseball coach and now I am able to be a part of the resurgence of UWEC baseball.

Again, it is very important to realize that I would not have this opportunity if it were not for Coach Brandt and the Finlandia University Athletic program. Coach Brandt took a chance on a young High School coach from Wisconsin and gave him an opportunity to pursue his dream. For that, I will always be thankful. Along the way I not only got to grow and learn from coaches on our staff but from our players daily and what it takes to succeed at the college level. "FU" will always have a different meaning to me and that is the family and connections I made while being part of the Finlandia University baseball program.

It would not be fair to write this and not include the school I was able to work at this past year. Being able to be the Special Education teacher this year at Jeffers High School allowed me to once again grow as an educator and create connections with students and staff that will always be a part of me. It was a special place to be and was great to see how the students take to and care about their education.

Once again, this is just a thank you and a stay in touch to all of those people (players, coaches, students, staff, parents) who have helped me and been a part of my journey in the UP. This will always be a special part of my journey but I am excited to get back to the Eau Claire area and help develop the UWEC baseball program in its return. You can never take the hill away from someone.

Go Blugolds!