First Day Jitters

On the first day of my summer mentorship... I was extremely nervous. I was going to be conducting practice for the BPHS JV Girl's Basketball team. I was nervous because I felt like the girls weren't going to respect my authority, since I'm only about a year older than most of them. Luckily, the girls were extemely respectful and treated me just as they would treat their usual coach. I ran practice just as my Varsity practice is run, and although the girls were very tired by the end of practice, they were pleased with the great workout they got. When I got home that day I felt extremely silly for being nervous, considering how familiar I am with the sport and how familiar I am with speaking in front of groups.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. I plan to interview a former basketball coach, David Gonzalez. I chose to interview him because he has not only coaches both girls and boys, he has also coached different types of teams. For example, he has coached a girls high school travel ball team, a youth basketball team, and been an assistant coach for a college basketball team. He is also very knowledgeable about basketball, he is a former player himself.

2. Addition questions that I plan on asking David mostly consist of opinions. I would like to ask him which gender and level he preferred coaching, so that I could get a better grasp on the schematics of coaching different types of players. I would also ask him about the salary, for example, "Is the salary for coaching a basketball team sufficient enough to support yourself? Or do most coaches need to have other means of income as well?"

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. Coaching A Basketball Team

2.

•  To become more of an effective leaner, I am going to strive to ask more questions. In the past, when I did not understand a problem, I simply brain stormed until I solved it. This year, I hope to utilize the 12th grade team. I also decided it'd be a good idea if i studied more, so that when it comes to tests I would be more sure of my answers. 
• To become more of an effective communicator, I am going to be more specific about the times I am available to my peers. I play basketball and in the past my practices and tournaments have causes problems scheduling wise, this semester I strive to have less discrepancies of that sort. I am also going to try to eliminate the words "like" and "so" from my vocabulary as I present.  
• To become more of an effective user of technology I am going to try to add  technological variety to my presentations. For example, use something different than a powerpoint. 
• To become a better I-Poly citizen I want to have more friendships with underclassmen, join as many committees as possible, improve my tardiness and volunteer more. 

Summer Mentorship Component

1. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq7Tu33HlRgSdHE0TjYxaUJqRlIwZGRNb1l1bEoxMkE&usp=sharing

2. Raquel Viramontes 1 (323) 633-0461

3. Do you have to take a special class to coach an athletic team?
    Are there any school requirements necessary before applying to the job?

4. The most important thing I gained from my 10 hours of mentorship was learning how to guide others in a structured manner.

5. My mentorship didn't help me necessarily choose my topic, because I had already decided my senior project topic before I started the mentorship. So if anything, these 10 hours only confirmed what I plan to do.