And how you use your access point matters far more than “what you do”.
“If you work with youth in any capacity what you do matters far less than how you use your means of access.
It’s not math, tennis, orchestra, or strength & conditioning.
It’s the privilege and responsibility to lead and positively impact the trajectory of our kids lives.”
-Ray Zingler on X
Regardless of the setting you work in, if you are blessed with the privilege of working with kids, it comes with great responsibility.
And I think MANY overlook just how big of a privilege and responsibility getting to work with kids really is.
There are teachers and coaches everywhere who are appointed kids to work with.
Literally they just show up to their job (that they singed up for) and they are immediately granted access to often high volumes of kids who have little to no choice when it comes to being directed by them (if they choose to take advantage of public/government school systems, sports, & etc.)
I look at these opportunities some of these people have and I am envious of their ease of access.
Here I am over here working 8 hours a day on Christmas trying my damndest to create and EARN opportunities to merely earn the chance of being able to work with kids in my profession, while in many professions there is little up front work involved and they get more than half the year OFF, talk about a luxury.
Forget the overwhelming risks, expenses, stress, and loop holes to climb over and around in the private sector, show up and voila, you can immediately start making a rich impact. What an unbelievable blessing.
This is why I believe it to be so important for not only people with direct access, but indirect access to understand the importance of not only “what they do” but how they can use the impact levers they have.
Let’s just be honest, in the grand scheme of things, most kids aren’t going to care about or remember the quadratic formula, situational tennis, the long hours in the orchestra room, or 3 sets of 10 or 4 sets of 8.
They are going to remember how their leaders, teachers, coaches, and mentors made them feel.
The type of mental and emotional impact these important figures had on them.
THOSE are the things they carry with them into the real world.
Are you showing up to your job?
Or are you highly calculated and strategic every single day when it comes to making a lasting impact?
The quality and trajectory of their lives hinges on your effort.
Remember that.
