S
SkiBumGymMom
I've just noticed, particularly in another active post currently going, that many of us gym parents are also teachers. I think it's an interesting background for raising kids and helping them through activities like gym, both in good and bad ways. Just thought it'd be interesting in sharing our educational background if you feel so inclined!
As I've shared before I'm currently a special education coordinator for our entire school district (a relatively small one infrastructure wise with one high school, one middle school and about 4 to 5 elementary schools, but it covers our entire county over 600 square miles in the mountains, so things can get tricky!) I go between the district admin offices in one town and the middle school in the other. I got this promotion after finally finishing my masters in special education with an emphasis in Deaf education through a lot of travel and online work to the closest university than had it. Before then I was a special ed coordinator at the high school level, and before then a special education teacher at the middle school and elementary school level. Before I finished my bachelors in special education I had an associates in educational interpreting and interpreted for various children of various ages who needed that service. Not a lot of Deaf kiddos where we are now though and I mostly did this where we used to live. When my girls were 2 and 4 we moved from the major metro area in our state for my late husband's new job, and I was finishing my bachelors around that time.
For a few years I had my own DD in my elementary school group and that was very complicated. I could only imagine having to coach your own child! In a way having a background in education has helped me keep gymnastics in perspective, particularly for my own DD. Also we deal with crazy parents everyday and also know how different kids have different ways of approaching things and are all unique... and not perfect. I also think it's given me more appreciation for what DD's coaches have been able to accomplish. After all gym parents are looking at the big O, crazy parents in the classroom... maybe they're looking at college but that's it.
As I've shared before I'm currently a special education coordinator for our entire school district (a relatively small one infrastructure wise with one high school, one middle school and about 4 to 5 elementary schools, but it covers our entire county over 600 square miles in the mountains, so things can get tricky!) I go between the district admin offices in one town and the middle school in the other. I got this promotion after finally finishing my masters in special education with an emphasis in Deaf education through a lot of travel and online work to the closest university than had it. Before then I was a special ed coordinator at the high school level, and before then a special education teacher at the middle school and elementary school level. Before I finished my bachelors in special education I had an associates in educational interpreting and interpreted for various children of various ages who needed that service. Not a lot of Deaf kiddos where we are now though and I mostly did this where we used to live. When my girls were 2 and 4 we moved from the major metro area in our state for my late husband's new job, and I was finishing my bachelors around that time.
For a few years I had my own DD in my elementary school group and that was very complicated. I could only imagine having to coach your own child! In a way having a background in education has helped me keep gymnastics in perspective, particularly for my own DD. Also we deal with crazy parents everyday and also know how different kids have different ways of approaching things and are all unique... and not perfect. I also think it's given me more appreciation for what DD's coaches have been able to accomplish. After all gym parents are looking at the big O, crazy parents in the classroom... maybe they're looking at college but that's it.