Millennials Motivate on and off the Court

The mission of Lake Erie Preparatory School, part of the I CAN School network, is to prepare scholars for a college preparatory high school that will ensure success and graduation from a four year college.  To send all scholars to college there must be a strong focus on academic achievement and staff must find creative ways to keep scholars motivated to perserver through challenges with learning. Millenial educators Miles Felton, Elizabeth Harrison, and Ken Amos go above and beyond the call of duty by motivating scholars to achieve both on and off the basketball court. "I use coaching to motivate students to build their leadership and social skills. It is great to see them come together, push each other and involve the rest of the school in their events. I spend extra time outside of practice getting to know them and building a strong bond." says Coach Harrison who has lead the girls basketball team in an undeafeated season. Coach Amos, the head boys basketball team coach who are also undeafeted, started mandatory study tables so that students have a clear understanding of what it means to be a student first and athlete second.  "We hold them to a higher standard and expect nothing, but greatness from them", says Coach Amos.

Although millenials can often be stigmatized as having a youthful perspective of traditional organization expectations, they also bring a style of their own that can be effective in relating and connecting with today's students.  Millennials also tend to display an abundance of self-confidence and believe they are highly valuable to any organization from day one. They are also the “can do” generation, never worrying about failure, for they see themselves as running the world and work environments ad demonstrated by each coaches ability to take the lead and coach their players to a winning record. "Coaching is important to me because when I was growing up, my first role model came from a sports team, so this is my way of affecting positive change in our community." says Coach Felton. Each coaches personal committment to motivating scholars to achieve on and off the court and their understanding of the significance of their role in students lives is what sets them apart.