Mr. Emerson Interview
By Abraham Gonzalez
You may have seen Mr. Brian Emerson in the hallways but you may not know that he is one of the ESL (English as Second Language) teachers. He is also a coach of the Nottingham boys’ soccer team, baseball team, and swimming team. In total he has been teaching nine years, seven of those at Nottingham High School. Star Status recently interviewed Mr. Emerson on his teaching and coaching philosophy.
What type of athletes do you usually look for? To start, we only accept athletes that can perform well in the classroom. Good grades are a prerequisite to participation in athletics. After that is confirmed, I would say that I value players that demonstrate commitment, responsibility, and leadership. More often than not, these qualities are more important to a coach than what an athlete can do on the field. Successful players are good learners, teachers, and are dedicated to getting better every day. What are the ups and downs of being a coach? One of the biggest challenges of coaching high school sports is managing different personalities and ability levels and requiring players to let go of individual wants or needs in favor of the team’s. “We before me” is a mantra all players should have in regards to team sports. While it is true that failure is imminent and every day is not easy, the ‘ups’ far outweigh the ‘downs’. Watching players progress throughout a season is one of the best rewards a coach can receive. Likewise, seeing a group come together and transition from teammates to friends/family is equally fulfilling. During your time teaching/coaching did a student ever teach you anything? Teaching and coaching is not always enjoyable, but they aren’t meant to be. They are processes and pathways for a certain outcome. Being a teacher or coach is often stressful and requires a lot of time and preparation. My students and players have taught me patience and understanding, and that incredible things are possible when a hard work ethic is put forward. Name one or two obstacles that you encounter as an ESL teacher. The most obvious is the language barrier. Particularly with students that recently arrived in the country, communication is an arduous task. It is often my job, for 40 minutes a day, 180 days a year, for 1-4 years, to teach students how to comprehend, speak, and write in a new language. A second obstacle is the frustration that stems from this process for students. Everyone learns a language from birth, and acquiring a language later in life is extremely difficult. I try to motivate students to continue with their efforts and fight through their frustrations or failures. Is it difficult teaching students a new language? More often than not, yes. It helps when students are fluent in their native language and have had some exposure to English. It can take students with zero English proficiency 5-7 years to become fluent. Many people assume that ESL teachers need to speak Spanish, which is not the case. While it definitely helps, many of my students come from non Spanish-speaking countries. In those circumstances, being fluent in Spanish is not a resource. |