To see all of you succeed in life, to never have the fear of dreaming big cause there's nothing between you and your dream.
This goes out to my students: Hansel, Benjamin, Nirvain and George (if you happen to read this).
I believe in you that's why I set even tougher challenges and hurdles in round 3. I saw the potential and ability in all of you. We may have registered that loss, let each other down with tensions and emotions at its highest, but at the end of the day, all of you are warriors. You did try. That monster was too big and swallowed us up. We have learned something and all of you are going to get even better. Don't ever stop learning. 'Cause you guys spoke like you owned the room.
Thank you for letting me have the chance to coach you. I genuinely cared for all of you and am I am forever indebted to be your coach for the past month. For I took a chance and ventured into the unknown quitting my previous job and this was indeed the most beautiful thing that I could have ever asked for in life. February-March was the highlight of my life, in my 20s. If I didn't quit that job, I would not be experiencing this beautiful feeling now, and wouldn't change anything in the world for it. Have I ever felt real happiness before? If this is happiness to be able to coach the most eager to learn and enthusiastic 15 year olds, that feeling is beyond amazing. Better than the riches of this world. Better than my time in Europe and the States in 2010 and the pre-college graduation trip to the East Coast and touring Yankee Stadium in 2011/12 at Christmas.
4 days, 11.5 hours of lesson this week. Non stop hard work. We probably worked harder than any professional team or any team in the competition. I'm not even counting the hours every member of the team spent working on their speeches and case outside of class. If I could turn back time and be downing red bulls all night and not sleeping for a week, I would do it. The coach goes through tons of material, just like how in professional sports, the head coach goes through hours of film, pulling all-nighters and not even having any shut-eye time so that the team is able to succeed. I am strongly motivated by Roy Williams, Joe Torre and Gregg Popovich, three of the head coaches of my favourite teams in college basketball, baseball and NBA.
Keep your head up, never look back on this. All the talent, insanity and jokes that transpired from learning, that's what class should be. Never give up on your dreams. If you ever feel down and out, remember my voice parroting at you to not undermine yourself because you are bigger and better than you think. I wish I could just keep going on coaching and educating all of you cause you make me want to teach you even more. It's the biggest gift that an educator could ever receive, your spirit. I could jabber praises about everyone till the water dries up in the oceans.
Signed,
Coach N
P.s Monsters shall be reduced to dust. We'll grab their horns and bones and eat them up. :)
Ostriches with their heads out of the sand!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Saturday, March 1, 2014
and I did it, all that stubbornness has paid off
The late Jeret Peterson's words say it all in the title and this post.
Those seven magical words I've been yearning to hear. "And the winning team goes to the proposition."
7:15pm, February 28, 2014.
What I've been out there searching for has finally came to pass. One year of darkness and depression. Two months ago, teaching wasn't even in my dictionary. I was popping countless anti depressants, drinking bottles of alcohol, and starving myself for days. Suicide attempts for the past 20 months, and finally, a tinge of sunshine. "This win represents me overcoming everything... it's my gift to myself. And I'm ecstatic. I'm extremely happy with the way things (have turned out yesterday)."quoting Peterson. The road is long, and the bumps can be a killer. I've worked myself crazy, changed jobs in a span of six weeks but it feels all worth it right now. When things aren't working out, keep walking. I have the best small group of students that I could have ever asked for, though I have only been working for three weeks, and once they lose, my contract will be up, and I'll be long gone.
I'd work all night to make sure the students get the best out of me in class, though they might not sound like a perfect speaker, they have made me proud. When your heart and soul is on the line, this is what I live for. I did the same at the previous school, but betrayal and poison slammed the door and I walked out before it got worse. All for the better. "I always had this feeling I was put on this earth to see how much crap somebody could go through and still come out on top," as Peterson said. This speaks volumes to me. Bullied for being different, which sparked rebellion. Nobody expected me to ever graduate from college, or even high school. But I did. I made it through and walked across the stage that very day on July 13, 2012, with my degree in hand. Someone who was never in the best class and who never had a respectable GPA in college and couldn't cut it anywhere. Who would have ever thought that I'd end up working as a debate coach, or rather, make more than the minimum wage? I've made it. The hours I spend drafting cases, editing it till its of standard, all for one cause. If I didn't do it, I'd go to bed at night with full of regret. All the what if's. Writing cases keep me out of the darkness that I do not wish to see again.
"It goes to show that people can make something of second chances," he said. "It's OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from them and as long as you're able to become a better person." Wins do not come very often, as I told the team, but its the learning process that can never be replaced. Talk about a dream, try to make it real, you wake up in the night and it feels so real, sings Bruce Springsteen. One win in the bag, onward to the next one which needs to happen. I told myself the night before the competition that I will have the students win round 2, and I did. That hundred hour work week didn't feel so bad after all.
If my students ever read this, I am so proud of your achievement. It's back to the grind come next class!
Those seven magical words I've been yearning to hear. "And the winning team goes to the proposition."
(The second speaker on my team was mentioned as best speaker too!)
7:15pm, February 28, 2014.
What I've been out there searching for has finally came to pass. One year of darkness and depression. Two months ago, teaching wasn't even in my dictionary. I was popping countless anti depressants, drinking bottles of alcohol, and starving myself for days. Suicide attempts for the past 20 months, and finally, a tinge of sunshine. "This win represents me overcoming everything... it's my gift to myself. And I'm ecstatic. I'm extremely happy with the way things (have turned out yesterday)."quoting Peterson. The road is long, and the bumps can be a killer. I've worked myself crazy, changed jobs in a span of six weeks but it feels all worth it right now. When things aren't working out, keep walking. I have the best small group of students that I could have ever asked for, though I have only been working for three weeks, and once they lose, my contract will be up, and I'll be long gone.
I'd work all night to make sure the students get the best out of me in class, though they might not sound like a perfect speaker, they have made me proud. When your heart and soul is on the line, this is what I live for. I did the same at the previous school, but betrayal and poison slammed the door and I walked out before it got worse. All for the better. "I always had this feeling I was put on this earth to see how much crap somebody could go through and still come out on top," as Peterson said. This speaks volumes to me. Bullied for being different, which sparked rebellion. Nobody expected me to ever graduate from college, or even high school. But I did. I made it through and walked across the stage that very day on July 13, 2012, with my degree in hand. Someone who was never in the best class and who never had a respectable GPA in college and couldn't cut it anywhere. Who would have ever thought that I'd end up working as a debate coach, or rather, make more than the minimum wage? I've made it. The hours I spend drafting cases, editing it till its of standard, all for one cause. If I didn't do it, I'd go to bed at night with full of regret. All the what if's. Writing cases keep me out of the darkness that I do not wish to see again.
"It goes to show that people can make something of second chances," he said. "It's OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from them and as long as you're able to become a better person." Wins do not come very often, as I told the team, but its the learning process that can never be replaced. Talk about a dream, try to make it real, you wake up in the night and it feels so real, sings Bruce Springsteen. One win in the bag, onward to the next one which needs to happen. I told myself the night before the competition that I will have the students win round 2, and I did. That hundred hour work week didn't feel so bad after all.
If my students ever read this, I am so proud of your achievement. It's back to the grind come next class!
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