As a coach and leader of programming, the thing that I used to complain about the most to my colleagues was that the kids were not engaged. They were not playing the games. They were sitting on the bench. They were distracted. They were on their phones. It was all about them and their behaviors, and I was annoyed, as frustrated because it seemed like a losing battle.
And then I noticed that the problem was actually me.
I had designed the activities. I had structured the order of programming. I had even arranged the seating area. A lot of their behaviors were just their responses to the structures I created. And that was when I realized I need to change.
Maybe you are trying to deal with some problem behaviors, yourself. It is time for you to do a self-assessment. What are the different ways that you might be contributing to that? What are the structures that have been set in place that might be feeding those behaviors? How could the physical environment be shaping how they act? And how could your responses be leading to this result?
It doesn’t feel great to realize you’re the problem. However, it is empowering to know that you are a very much the solution. What are the changes you might need to make today?
The Sideline Fix 
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