아래에 남긴 글에 밝혔듯이 기록을 위해서 남김.
2024년 3월 3일 .
“Hi Coach ___,
This is 내 이름, 코난군’s dad.
I’m sorry that I was not able to attend last Tuesday meeting because the meeting time overlapped with my daughter’s team meeting.
I heard that there is a mandatory weight training meeting on Saturday morning.
Is this really mandatory or it is for some students who have to build up some tennis related muscles?
If students really need additional day of training, is it possible for Youngmin and/or other students to work on their weak shots, such as serves (2nd serve especially), volleys, overhead or whatever they feel they need to improve?
Or is it possible for someone to take lessons in the morning if some tennis coaches are available on Saturday morning?
Thanks in advance for your answer.”
위의 메일에 답장이 옴. 그 메일에 대한 재 답장.2024년 3월 4일.
” Thanks for your rely.
However, can this be voluntary?
In our opinion, the students are spending too many hours at school sports per week.
Before they are athletes, they are students who will have to learn many things.
3 hours on Mondays and Wednesdays. When the season starts, there are two days of matches which will exceed 3 hours.
Then, when they come home, they may have to stay late to keep up with school works. As a result, they may have a sleep deprivation during the weekdays in season.
Lack of sleep may result in an injury. Weekends will be the time when they make up their sleeps.
So, I really suggest that the active recovery be voluntary especially at 8 am in the morning.
Not having enough rest and sleep, I’m not sure if the active recovery is really effective when students need more sleep.
After enough sleep, at their will they may come late in the afternoon play tennis (if they want), relax or do something else without feeling pressured to attend the mandatory Saturday meeting.
Thanks for your consideration regarding this matter.
I have other commitment this Tuesday so I can’t come to the court.”
위의 메일에 답이 없어서 교육감의 충고로 메일을 또 보냄. 2024년 3월 6일.
” Dear Coach ______,
We didn’t hear from you about our suggestion.
As I emphasized earlier, it’s important to recognize that high school tennis team members are primarily students, with academic commitments that require attention.
Considering the demanding nature of their schedules during the week, we believe it’s essential for them to have adequate rest and sleep during the weekend morning to manage their schoolwork and other extracurricular activities effectively. Thus, we sincerely ask that the Saturday morning meeting be made voluntary, allowing students the flexibility to prioritize their well-being and rest.
We appreciate your understanding and support regarding this.
We hope to hear from you soon.”
코치는 3월 7일에 ‘당신이 부모 모임에 참석하지 않아서 모르겠지만, 그 때 나눠준 양식에서 서명을 한 부분은 따라야 한다. 그리고 아이들의 학업과 팀의 성적을 위해 토너먼트 참가와 개인 레슨을 줄여달라”는 메일을 보내옴.
그 메일에 대한 재반박 메일을 2024년 3월 8일에 보냄.
” Coach ______ ,
First of all, I want to express my sincere appreciation for your dedication to the BHS tennis team.
Also, I apologize for any confusion caused by beating around the bush. I realize now the importance of being direct and concise without making unnecessary excuses.
Please let me get straight to the point.
I believe that the Saturday meeting should be optional for the well-being and flexibility of every family.
Everyone has different commitments and needs. Some may require rest, have other Saturday morning obligations, or prefer pursuing other hobbies. It’s essential to respect these individual preferences and responsibilities. Additionally, the logistical challenges of transportation, especially for families with multiple members, can be burdensome.
I am also concerned about the process of obtaining parental consent for mandatory meeting times. While most parents may have signed the form, it’s crucial to ensure that its consent is reasonable and voluntary to a certain extent.
In my efforts to understand the school’s policies regarding mandatory attendance for extracurricular activities, I reached out to MCPS. I learned that there’s no policy mandating attendance other than regular classes.
This being said, I kindly request that the Saturday meeting become voluntary, if needed. We’re open to the possibility of not having it at all. If further discussion or permissions are required, I’m more than willing to communicate with relevant stakeholders within MCPS.
Thank you for considering our request, and I appreciate your attention to this matter.
나의 서명
추신:
P. S: From the perspective of a coach, the season’s results may be significantly important. However, as individual players, the experience gained from other tennis tournaments outside of school is equally important. Unlike some sports, BHS doesn’t provide formal tennis coaching, which prompts families to seek other avenues for improvement, such as private coaching and tournament participation. While we’re grateful for the opportunity for our child to play tennis with friends at school, we recognize the need for additional resources to support his growth in the sport. However, during the high school season, we will seek other opportunity as little as possible because we value the team result as well as his academic performance at school. (The last tournament was not really planned. The original tournament was postponed due to the weather issue.) “
위의 메일이 곧바로 내가 보낸 메일에 “AD (Athletic Dirctor) 와 공유하겠다. 팀의 스케쥴이 정해지면, 팀은 그것에 따라야 한다” 는 메일을 보내 옴. 그에 대한 재반박. 이번에는 수신인데 AD 도 포함시킴. 2024일 3월 8일.
” Dear _________,
I am writing to address a concern regarding the boys tennis coach’s weekend attendance policy.
In my efforts to understand the school’s policies regarding mandatory attendance for extracurricular activities, I contacted 몽고메리 공립학교. From this inquiry, I heard that there is no official policy mandating attendance at weekend practices. However, it has come to my attention that our tennis coach has implemented a mandatory policy, seemingly at his discretion.
It is crucial to emphasize that such a requirement isn’t consistent across all sports, all schools, or even all tennis coaches within MCPS. I don’t find a similar policy from other schools and from the past tennis coaches except for last year’s coach. This discrepancy raises questions about the fairness and necessity of this particular policy.
The coach’s statement below does not align with standard practices: “The expectation is, if a team activity is scheduled, all student-athletes should be present. If a student-athlete cannot make it to a scheduled activity for whatever reason, they are marked absent, if they have a doctor’s note they are excused, that is standard practice.”
It’s important to note that this team activity was not scheduled by the team members; rather, it was unreasonably scheduled by the coach himself.
I firmly believe that participation in Saturday meetings should be optional to accommodate the well-being and flexibility of every family. Each individual has unique commitments and interests that may conflict with mandatory attendance, ranging from personal rest needs to other Saturday morning obligations or pursuits of different hobbies. It is crucial to respect these individual preferences and responsibilities, as well as the logistical challenges, especially regarding transportation for families with multiple members.
With these considerations in mind, I kindly request that the Saturday meeting be made voluntary to provide greater flexibility and inclusivity for all involved, as needed.
Thank you.”
이 메일 다음에 교육감에 보낸 메일.
“Dear Dr. _______________,
We thank you for taking the time to meet with us last Wednesday. It was very clear that you not only understood our concerns but also shared our aspiration for the holistic development of our young adults.
About an email communication with the tennis coach regarding the Saturday mandatory gathering, I followed your advice to reach out again. Unfortunately, his response reiterated his previous answer, mentioning that all other parents had signed a document outlining its mandatory meeting. Regrettably, I couldn’t come this parental meeting due to a scheduling conflict with our daughters’ track team parental meeting, and thus, did not have the opportunity to review the form.
(This situation has brought to light another fundamental issue: the imposition of unreasonable demands without adequate consideration for individual circumstances. It raises the question of how parents and athletes can navigate such situations when they genuinely wish to participate in activities but are confronted with unreasonable requirements.)
I plan to communicate with the coach once more with this content:
“I believe that the Saturday meeting should be optional for the well-being and flexibility of every family.
Everyone has different commitments and needs. Some may require rest, have other Saturday morning obligations, or prefer pursuing other hobbies. It’s essential to respect these individual preferences and responsibilities. Additionally, the logistical challenges of transportation, especially for families with multiple members, can be burdensome.”
I will keep you informed of any developments following my correspondence with the coach. Your support and understanding throughout this process are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and have a great weekend.
Sincerely,”
이 메일 후에 교육감으로부터 검토하는 데 시간이 걸릴거다 라는 내용의 이메일 옴. 그 메일에 대한 답변 메일. 2024년 3월 11일.
”
Dear Dr. Bragen,
Thank you for your prompt response. I appreciate your perspective on the expectation for immediate changes. If my previous communication conveyed an expectation for swift resolutions, I apologize for any misunderstanding. Contrary to any assumptions, I understand that decisions carry consequential outcomes and may require thoughtful consideration.
Regarding your suggestion to communicate with the coach again, I (and perhaps you as well) hoped for a resolution between us. Regrettably, despite my efforts, we haven’t found common ground. The intention of my second email on Friday was to inform you of our disagreement, and I apologize if it caused any offense.
Among the three requests I made regarding the practice policy during our meeting, Saturday morning attendance has proven to be the most problematic, which I have already discussed with the tennis coach.
Unfortunately, my child fell ill after Friday’s late afternoon serve practice during a drizzle rain for about an hour and Saturday morning workouts. Consequently, he missed his regular Sunday orchestra (RYSO) rehearsal.
Reflecting on history, the transition to a five-day workweek and weekends took two decades, from Henry Ford’s initiatives in the 1920s to the enactment of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1940. I firmly believe that allocating free time on Saturdays is vital for our children’s well-being, in line with the principles outlined in the FLSA. It concerns me that some trends appear to regress, particularly in public school sports. Not all athletes will become professional players. If some athletes are motivated and strive to be one, then we should encourage them rather than mandating them. Motivation will prevail over coercion.
While it may seem I’m advocating solely for my child’s benefit, many parents share concerns about the unreasonable policy. Everyone has different commitments and needs. Some may require rest, have other Saturday morning obligations, or prefer pursuing other hobbies. It’s essential to respect these individual preferences and responsibilities. Additionally, the logistical challenges of transportation, especially for families with multiple members, can be burdensome.
It is crucial to emphasize that mandatory Saturday practice attendance isn’t consistent across all sports, all schools, or even all tennis coaches within 몽고메리 공립학교들. This fact raises significant fairness and necessity questions. If the Saturday practice policy remains a mandate, it should be communicated at the start of the school year to allow for informed decision-making and planning. (I do understand that some sports have matches and games on weekends which cannot be avoided due to the characteristics of meetings. However, tennis matches are scheduled during weekdays.)
In my opinion, regarding Saturday practice, there is a simple solution (Occam’s razor) that could make almost everyone happy.
Thank you for considering these points. I look forward to further discussions and finding a constructive solution.
Best regards, “
