Ugly Hour is organized for some students as time with their teammates.
All students are assigned an Ugly Hour classroom. Student athletes whose coaches also work as teachers, however, are grouped into Ugly Hour cohorts. In other words, these athletes are assembled in an Ugly Hour classroom with their coach, while other students are randomly dispersed across campus.
“I think the students like being cohorted because they are with friends/teammates,” said Kate Panos, a science teacher and cheer coach. “That leads to a very collaborative work environment.”
Ugly Hour is a loosely structured block of time within block days. Students may use it to consult their teacher for assistance, make up assessments, or other academic functions. Ugly Hour cohorts, though, allow coaches to increase engagement with their athletes as necessary. For instance, coaches can review practice or game footage during Ugly Hour.
Emma Lam, a student on varsity stunt cheer, said that she appreciates having “more time to get close with my teammates outside of the focus of practice.”
On the other hand, Jesse Medrano, a social sciences teacher and varsity baseball coach, noted that making players the academic students of coaches allows them “to make sure players are on top of their grades.”
Panos agreed, saying that she checks student GPAs to identify if they become “ineligible to play.”
Medrano stressed that Ugly Hour is an opportunity for “students to get work done before school’s over,” though the general freedom for work completion depends on the coach-team dynamic and the weight of ongoing competition.
댓글