I decided I'd flesh this out a little bit more.
After 22 years, I'm closing the door on a place I've loved, treasured and owe much of who I am today. Most would say I'm 8 years past when I should've done this, when I graduated, but that isn't who I am and that isn't how I operate. My loyalties to places and people are deeply rooted - too deep, at times.
I attend Algoma Christian School from Pre-K through Senior year. 14 years. My name is on a plaque for the "All the Way Through Club". I've made friends from that school that literally have lasted my lifetime. We grew through ups and downs together during quite honestly, the most awkward times of our lives. I had a principle that truly cared about our well being. Teachers who loved God to sacrifice financially to serve at this school. Teachers who have become friends. My memories from when I attended are great. Most of which have nothing about learning from a textbook, though, I did learn and enjoyed it.
Which is why, I, unlike many Alumni wanted to give back to a place that gave me so much. I've spent the last 3 years coaching and investing in these girls. I'm not remotely close to being a mother but I can tell you, this gave me a glimpse into parenthood. When they succeeded for whatever reason, I rejoiced with them. When they walked down the wrong rode, my heart hurt for them and my prayers multiplied. I truly care for "my kids" and my number one priority in serving them was to point them to God. Being 8 years out of HS and holding recordS at Algoma for playing basketball, I can tell you and did tell them, IT DOESN'T MATTER. In Eternity, God isn't going to ask you how many points or assists you had, or if you won a championship. Please, do not get me wrong, I am ridiculously competitive and really hate to lose but the hardcore fact is there are things that matter and things that don't. What I wanted to teach these kids is winning, losing, scoring, doing homework...whatever you're doing, in that, you can bring glory to God.
At the beginning of my first season I wrote this:
"At the beginning of the season, I told the team are focus is on 3 things, in this order.
God.
Teammates.
Basketball.
If I failed them in the first two and we had a great record, I still would have done them an injustice as their coach. The day I stop believing that is the day I should no longer be coaching. Feel free to hold me to that."
All details aside, this past season was really rough. I felt very strongly that the direction of Algoma was in a completely different direction than pointing kids to Christ. My direction as a coach hadn't changed. Algoma's did. At Algoma Christian the first priority wasn't what it was when I attended and what it should be - Christ. I was really praying about my decision about continuing for the next year. Praying and struggling through it as I didn't want to give up on my kids. I set up a meeting with the principle just to discuss some of my concerns, whether or not I was coming back to coach, I wanted him to know and thought he'd want to know. I came to the point of knowing, if I step down God would fill that place. Algoma doesn't need me to continue on.
The meeting with the principle continued to get pushed back and 3 days prior to it, I received an email from the AD firing me from coaching. Even if I was a nobody and/or the worst coach that has ever coached, this was the wrong way to handle it. Since I was certainly not a nobody and I was an alum still investing and loving the school, not to mention they just gave me the Alumni of the Year award and my name is now on another plaque. The email was then followed up by an attachment of the parent reviews. I slightly glanced over them before I had silent tears streaming from my eyes...at work. You see, I'd probably understand this better if I had been given feedback throughout the season (any would've been nice) and I was blatantly ignoring it. Not a word. Not from staff. Not from parents. No indication. I think it was absolutely cowardly to 1) tell me in an email 2) that parents could anonymously hide behind reviews 3) they didn't care to speak with me prior to share some concerns/hear my feedback.
It's really very sad to me. Not for me. Honestly, I'm not upset over this. I'm not going to fight to serve at a place that doesn't want me there. They definitely handled the situation incorrectly and even after my email to the principle, his decision not to reply and right the wrong spoke volumes. I had been praying about what the future looked like concerning coaching. God answered. It wasn't how I wanted but I know if I walked away on my own, like I felt He was directing me to anyway, a part of me would've always felt a little guilty as if I gave up or could've done more. There's no question in my mind now and the older I get the more I realize, understand and am thankful I don't have to understand His plan (even though sometimes I want to). He had me there for a specific time and purpose, which He may or may not reveal to me. I am sad for the school. I've dreamed of sending my kids there and to tell them stories of when I went there but just like a church isn't a building, a school isn't, either. It's the people. The people and the direction of Algoma, at least for now, has changed drastically and I want nothing to do with it. I really think in the next 5-10 years, I will have no Alma mater to attend homecoming games at, that is if I wanted to anyway. Our reunions will be remembering a school that no longer exists, unless God is gracious by bringing leadership into the school that wants to turn the ship and silence a particular group of people. I don't mean this to be crude but that person would have to have balls. Someone who would be willing to do the unpopular thing against all the voices. It's sad that's an issue in a "Christian" school.
The week this all progressed, I was scheduled to speak at the Mother's Tea at Algoma, which was difficult to do with a positive attitude. I knew that would be the last time I entered the doors. God did, however, have a different plan. I was sitting at home on the night of graduation when a mother texted me this.
Graduation had already begun but I knew, I needed to swallow some pride and be the bigger person since I knew it'd mean the world if I was there. It was incredibly hard to be there but there are some things you need to do for other people. That was one of them.
I see no future for me and Algoma Christian School. My prayer is God brings leadership into that school like what was once was when I attended or better. If and when He does that, I will reconsider but for the time being Algoma might be better off dropping "Christian" from the title.
So there it is. The chapter is closed. I'm going to have, at least from what I can tell, a ridiculous amount of free time, less responsibility and stress. In fact, I already kind of do. I don't know what's next or how God is going to use me but I'm open and waiting with eyes peeled.
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