L.E.A.P. 4 Athletes

L.E.A.P. for Athletes


INTRODUCTION

I have been a teacher of several athletes for twelve years and I’ve noticed that majority of them were academically-challenged and had not performed well in academics. The advisory class I handled last year and the one I am handling right now have a high number of athletes, and the experience of being with them everyday gives me a significant information on how to address their situation. They have been in this situation not because of their inability to learn but because of their everyday training and regular competitions that sap their energy, take away their time and focus in studying and reviewing their lessons.

It is in this context that leads me to decide that the program I implemented in my class LS 305 last school year can also help them improve in their academic performance. I am proposing “L.E.A.P. for Athletes” which stands for Lasallian Education Assistance Program for Athletes. This simple program aims: (1) to provide academic assistance to academically-challenged athletes through tutoring, mentoring and coaching, (2) to improve the academic performance of the athletes, and (3) to inculcate the value of formal education in achieving their goal to succeed as an athlete.

The said program would also give the academic community the opportunity to share their time, effort, and energy with the academically-challenged athletes in the Integrated school; and at the same time addressing the clamor of some parents to have a clear academic program for the athletes in Senior Learning Community.

I believe that having this kind of program, we would be able to provide a holistic formation of our athletes following the popular Latin maxim: “Mens sana in corpore sano”—which means “ A sound mind in a sound body.” It is also imperative to all of us to respond to the need of these young Lasallian athletes who continually give their very best performance during sports competition.

Process of Implementation

1. The author submits and proposes the program to the Vice-Chancellor for Mission, Sports Director, Principal, and Assistant Principal for deliberation and approval, and to the PENCIL, Inc. for whatever assistance it can give to the program.
2. The I.S. academic council will articulate on the details of the program and come up with various ways of providing academic mentors, tutors, and coaches for the athletes.
3. If possible, the Academic Council will appoint one academic adviser for the athletes whose function is to monitor the grades of the athletes, and provide necessary information to the Council for a needed intervention. S/he informs the athletes to regularly attend the sessions.
4. Budget for the program is needed for paying tutors and the teachers who will conduct remedial sessions for the academically-challenged athletes.

5. The program will follow the schedule below:

A. The academic adviser informs the athletes to attend tutoring or remedial sessions.
B. There should be at least 3 sessions a week to be held in a designated room.
C. The subjects to be reviewed for the day will be determined by the academic adviser based on the students’ academic performance.
D. A minimum of 30 minutes will be allotted for each session that starts at 12:10 to 12:40.
E. The assigned teacher/s in a particular subject area will facilitate the remedial, review, mentoring sessions for the athletes.
F. The Academic Adviser will inform subject teachers about the program so that they could be of help in providing feedbacks on the students’ performance in their subject area.

Prepared by:

Raul Paras
CL Teacher
PENCIL, Inc. Representative-Level 9

January 18, 2010