Good Education

Offering tutoring in your gym can be a win/win.

By Sara Jarrett

CBN Feb/Mar 2011

Do you have extra space in your gym that you’re not sure what to do with? Gyms across the country have begun making use of their excess space by transforming it into a study/tutoring area. It’s not only easy to set up, but it’ll also benefit your athletes.  They’ll be able to maintain their grades to stay on the team.
In 2009, just days before the first competition of the season, one of the athletes at 212 Elite Cheer & Tumble in Stanwood, WA, was pulled from the team for poor grades. That was an event coach Samantha Smothermon never wanted to happen again, so in 2010 she made sure the entire squad maintained a passing average. “I have an area in the loft of our gym, plus an indoor patio for the athletes, where they can get their assignments done,” she says. “They start their homework as soon as they get to the gym after school—approximately 30 minutes to an hour before practice—and if they’re not done, they sit to the side of the spring floor until they are.”

According to a recent article in The New York Times, more parents are hiring homework helpers—people who teach time-management and organizational skills to students and make sure assignments get done, but who don’t necessarily tutor. Simply providing a space for students to study and creating an environment that encourages positive educational practices may be enough for athletes to keep their grades up and ensure they stay on the squad. Plus, offering homework helpers can be an easy way for your athletes and gym to make some extra cash, if you decide to charge a small fee. “It’s extremely important for the girls to have success [in that area],” explains Smothermon. “I’d hate for the kids to be pulled for something they can control but choose not to.”

Peer Tutors

Education and grades are also at the forefront of Galaxy Elite Athletics in Missoula, MT, a gym that strongly encourages peer tutoring. “We have a kitchen table set up inside our gym where families can send their kids,” says owner Jessica Lee.  “They drop them off, the kids sit at the table before or after practice, and we encourage our older kids to help the younger kids with their homework.” The older girls feel a sense of leadership when they’re helping the younger ones. “It’s great to see that they feel like they have all the inside information,” says Lee. Students in the same grade can also encourage and motivate each other when they’re working on the same lessons.
As an added incentive for older athletes to become peer tutors, think about charging a small fee. That way the athletes will be able to make a little extra money in-between practices. Parents of younger athletes may be willing to pay a modest amount to the older girls for their guidance.  Approach the subject individually with each family or send a letter home to gauge interest and to see how much they’d be willing to pay. Schools may also allow athletes who are tutoring to receive community service credit for their time spent with younger gym members.

Private Tutoring

The coaches at Galaxy routinely check in with all the students regarding what homework assignments they have, often while they’re sitting at the communal table, which serves as a general gathering place for the students. “If an athlete’s really struggling, we schedule a private one-on-one lesson where one of the coaches sits down and helps them,” says Lee, who has a degree in elementary education herself and has hired two other coaches who are both working toward their education degrees.  “I hire staff members who find value in the same things I do, and education is one of those [things].  When you go to college for education, you learn so many fundamental things about how kids learn and what drives them. You get hands-on experience with things that work and things that don’t.”
Her staff’s teaching qualifications are always disclosed to the parents from the get-go.  “When parents know that coaches genuinely care about the students’ well-being, it helps to create a tight-knit community,” Lee says.  “If it were all about cheer, any gym would do. Parents like to know that it’s about the individual we’re helping
to shape.”

Every year Galaxy has at least one girl from each team (they have four teams in total) who schedules private one-on-one tutoring with one of the coaches. “Sometimes they fall behind on a certain subject,” she explains. “Right now we have a girl who’s struggling with math,  so she does one-on-ones until she gets her confidence and skills up. If she needs the one-on-ones the entire year, then we’ll offer them the entire year.  We also have students who pop in and out from different teams all year long.”

One-on-one sessions are scheduled outside practice hours and are dependent on the coaches’ free time. All tutoring is held at the gym, either sprawled out on the floor or at the communal table. Galaxy doesn’t charge for any of this, but Lee says there’s a market for it.  “We live in a university town, so tutors are abundant here.” Even so, she prefers to offer tutoring to her athletes as a perk.  “I feel like it’s something that goes hand-in-hand with cheering. There are so many people who already pay to be in the program, so it’s a special service they get and it doesn’t take too much of our time.”

Monitoring and Assessing

Keeping track of your athletes’ progress in school is important in order to avoid surprises such as failing grades during competition season. It’s always better to avoid a crisis instead of scrambling to play catchup.  The athletes at 212 Elite must periodically bring in their progress reports to the staff.  “I give no warning as to when this will be,” says Smothermon, who, along with another coach, works in her local school district as a “Paraeducator” (a teacher’s aide who does everything from one-on-one tutoring to managing the classroom). “I usually ask for progress reports when a little birdie tells me somebody isn’t doing well, a benefit of working in the school district,” Smothermon says.
Every class at Galaxy begins with a quick discussion of how the athletes’ day went, which is designed to keep the lines of communication open so students feel comfortable going to coaches with any problems they have, grades-related or not. “We ask what they worked on in school, what happened at school, what they ate for lunch,” says Lee.
While speaking directly with teachers may not be possible (unless your district has the sort of grading system software that allows outside access to students’ grades), checking in with parents may be more practical. “Parents let us know what’s coming up,” says Lee.  “We make it a policy. The coaches keep track of what parents they’ve talked with after practice. If we’re going to be out of town, we send a letter home with the kids, asking what they need to work on while they’re away at a cheer event.”
Structuring your gym around the value of education, encouraging students to help each other on their homework and even offering tutoring services can help retain cheerleaders who are struggling academically. It might also boost confidence, instill a sense of leadership, help older cheerleaders earn a little extra money, and even help your gym earn a little extra money if you choose to charge for the services.
“I feel like it really makes sense,” says Lee. “Education and cheer go together. Both of them are really important aspects of the athletes’ lives. It’s important to show them the value of it and to let them know you think their education is important. If you show them the other stuff you think is important, you teach that lesson as well.”