My Master's Experience

When I was first enrolled into this program, I had very little expectations. I was lucky enough to be offered the Graduate Assistant Position with Michigan State Football. One of the biggest “perks” of being a GA for Michigan State is that I was able to complete my master’s degree. I will be graduating from Michigan State with a Master of Arts in Education, and will be the first person in my family to receive my master’s from a Big Ten University. The idea of having a master’s degree was more enticing than the actual knowledge I was going to gain from going through the program. I had no idea what I wanted to take, but I knew I wanted that degree.
As my program is winding down, I can’t help but reflect on how much I have learned. My understanding on how people learn, and how technology can help people learn, is completely different from when I first started. I have also been forced to plan ahead and think deeply about what types of things I want to implement when I am a coach. A lot of this program forces you to learn about yourself, and this type of reflection can be priceless.
One of the more frustrating things about this program were some of the lessons that I felt were designed for teachers. I had a very narrow-minded view on what I was going to learn from this master’s degree, and if it didn’t apply to coaching, then I wasn’t going to like it. The truth is that this program helped me see that coaches use a lot of the same tools teachers use to teach their athletes. I used to work for Coach Dantonio, and he would always say “Coaches are just teachers." This statement didn’t make sense to me until I took this class. Every person learns differently, and it is the job of the coach or teacher to learn how they learn.
The more athletic or coach specific classes I took prepared me for the logistics of being a football coach. These classes only confirmed that the safety of the athletes is always the most important thing, and their safety is the coaches responsibility. Proper preparation and inspection of your practice area will help with the safety of your team.
I have gained so much more than a piece of paper from completing my master’s degree. I am confident in my ability to teach complex information to athletes in the way that is most receptive for them. I am confident that I will be able to hold a safe practice, and allow our athletes to learn and grow. This program has given me the confidence to be the best coach I can be.