During recess at the Mason Elementary School in Roxbury, you’re likely to find Junior Coach Nathan teaching games to other students or building up his fellow Junior Coaches to be more confident.
Nathan is an outstanding Junior Coach at his school who always holds himself accountable to do what is expected of him. But according to his Playworks Coach, Nathan really went above and beyond at this year’s Junior Coach Leadership Convention, a two day gathering of 200 Junior Coaches from schools all over Boston.
According to Coach Caitlin, “at Junior Coach Leadership Convention he was acting more shy than usual.” The theme of this year’s JCLC was courage, and Coach Caitlin reminded him that making new friends is something that takes a lot of courage! After their conversation, “he decided to be courageous and talk to people he didn’t know and do things he doesn’t normally do. He kept stepping it up and going outside of his bubble,” said Coach Caitlin.
We are proud to have Nathan on our Playworks team at the Mason. We know he will continue to make excellent happen at school every day, demonstrating Playworks’ core values of respect, healthy play, and inclusion.
Q & A with Junior Coach Nathan
Q: How does it feel to be selected as the Junior Coach of the Month?
It feels really good because I didn’t know about this, and I didn’t think I was doing as great as Coach Caitlin thought I was.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a Junior Coach?
Being able to teach new games to young kids.
Q: What is one thing you’ve learned from Coach Caitlin at Junior Coach Training?
I’ve learned how to use teamwork for my advantage!
Q: What is a piece of advice you would give to other Junior Coaches who want to be successful?
What I would tell them is, never try working alone. Your friends are always there to help you out.
Q: What is your favorite game to play at recess?
