By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The Coaches in the Classroom feature is a weekly series that spotlights and celebrates coaches throughout Portage County, who spend their days in the classrooms and hallways leading today’s student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today’s spotlight is on Field High School track and field coach Ed Conroy, who is a middle school math teacher at Field.

• Hometown: I was born and raised in the Field Local School District. My parents have lived in Brimfield for over 60 years. My parents are William and Marjorie Conroy, and I am the oldest of four children, followed by Jim, Laura and Dave. My siblings and I are all graduates of Field Local Schools, and we appreciate the administrators and teachers who made our years of education so memorable. My mom was a teacher at Brimfield Elementary for most of her teaching career, and has been an active member in the Brimfield Historical Society and Garden Club for many years. They also have supported the Field Scholarship Fund for 20-plus years.
  

  ED CONROY

• School District: Field Local Schools.
• How long have I been employed there?: I have been teaching at Field Middle School for 32 years. I will be retiring at the end of this school year with many positive memories of the students I had an opportunity to teach and coach. I have been involved in coaching for all of those years, as well as two additional years when I taught and coached in Charleston, S.C. 
• Classes taught and positions held: When I first started teaching, I taught all the subjects: Math, English, History, Science and even Keyboarding. For the last 25 years, it has been primarily Math. I have also been a girls seventh grade basketball coach, but most of my coaching career has been in both cross country and track. I have 35 years of coaching experience at both high-school and middle-school levels combined. I have been the head cross country coach for 20 years and approximately 15 years as the head track coach.
• What made you want to become an educator?: Two things stick out in my mind. First, I grew up in a family of educators. My mother had seven siblings and six of them were teachers. I saw the love and dedication each of them had for their students and it made me want to follow in their footsteps. Second, I also realized how much my teachers and coaches helped direct my life by challenging me to do my very best. Sometimes these lessons were difficult, but the challenging workouts in my sports and assignments only made me stronger. I wanted to challenge kids to do their best and show them they can do great things if they are willing to work hard. I am thankful for all the obstacles that were in my life, but I am mostly thankful for parents and educators that didn’t let me lower my expectations and do things halfway. Difficult challenges only make us stronger, and too often the people in our lives don’t hold us accountable to follow through, or do not require us to take responsibility for our actions.
• What is your favorite part of your job?: Everyone jokes that it is June, July and August, but I start coaching every year around July 5. My favorite part of my job is that it is something different every day. The students keep you young at heart, and they hold you accountable to continue to be better. This profession changes like the wind, and the awesome thing is that we, as educators, can learn from our students, as well. They are our future, and I am excited to see how they think and learn. Hopefully they realize that they can learn from their elders. My biggest worry is that technology is so much a part of their daily life that they don’t spend enough time working and playing outside. One of my favorite things to do is to spend time after school with my athletes and see them in a competitive environment, such as sports, marching band, drama and other social clubs. Activities like these are so important in helping our students be more well-rounded and learn to socialize with their peers. Cell phones and computers have replaced communication with others. These activities help our youth develop social skills for their future.
• What did I learn about being an educator that I didn’t know before I started?: I learned that being a teacher and coach requires a great amount of time and energy outside of the school building. I often find myself grading papers, writing up track meets or doing stats way into the evening hours. Also, I have learned that regardless of how hard you work, you will not be able to help all the students or please all the athletes and parents. This profession requires big shoulders, and a strong ability to hold your opinions to yourself. Teachers and coaches spend endless hours trying to help tomorrow’s leaders and often only hear the criticisms of a profession we love and respect so much. 
• What teachers influenced me to go into teaching?: The No. 1 teacher who influenced me to want to teach and coach was my mentor and friend, William R. Huntington. Bill was my high school cross country and track coach. We coached together for 10 years when I was the middle-school coach under his awesome varsity program. He taught me that hard work and dedication can go a long way. These lessons that I learned continued to help me through challenges in my life. If it wasn’t for the challenges and expectations I learned as a runner, I am not sure if I would have finished college and became a teacher and coach. I am thankful I was able to pass these expectations on to both of my sons.
• How do you apply some of your coaching to the classroom?: I have found that kids understand that coaches have a certain expectation for them, both in the classroom and on the athletic field. I feel they respect the fact that coaches stay after school and give their time to the kids when the school day is over. I tell them my approach to my athletes is for my athletes to always give their best, and I expect these same values of work ethic to be given in the classroom. They know I feel the classroom comes first and that sports are second. To play sports is a privilege, but your education is essential to a better life. 
• How do you apply some of the classroom to your coaching?: I like to think that attendance is a large part of my success in coaching and in the classroom. If the students see you, as a coach or teacher, absent from your responsibilities, it demonstrates a lack of dedication. I try to show them that being there for them, on a regular basis, is important and a life skill which is essential to their success. I believe that in our profession, we model to our youth on a daily basis. I want them to see characteristics which help them realize that attendance and strong character traits are so important as they enter into their adult lives. 
• The funniest thing that ever happened to me in the classroom?: One of my funniest things I can remember was early in my career when we had an end of the year celebration at the reservoir. We would have the kids walk from the school to the reservoir boathouse. From the boathouse they would row boats to the old campground over by Lansinger Road, where we would play kickball and volleyball, as well as have a picnic. When we started taking the 20 or 30 boats toward the other side of the lake, I noticed one boat was hardly moving through the water. I couldn’t figure out why their progress was so poor when the boys rowing were so good. As I approached the boat, I realized what the problem was. I told the boy to go pull the rope at the end of his boat. As he did about 30 pounds of seaweed came to the surface, along with the anchor that was in the water. We all laughed and continued on our way across the lake.
• Mentors at my building that have helped you along the way?: Geno Calcei. He is the administrator who hired me 32 years ago. He saw something in me that I try to live up to daily. He told me that he knew I would give my best to the district, not only as a teacher, but as a coach. He is a man of wisdom and I appreciate the fact that he gave me a chance to work at a school that means so much to me. He said to me once, “I provided my kids with experiences and not toys.” I realized that my life should be teaching kids by providing them with experiences that they will remember for a lifetime, and I also used this wisdom to raise my own children. I hope the experiences that I provided for my students and family will stick with them in a positive way for the rest or their lives. Maybe some of these traits will even be passed on to the next generations. I also would like to thank my wife of 33 years, who has stood by my side through all the highs and lows that come with this profession. Coaches, especially head coaches, need to have someone who helps them through the challenges of being a coach and teacher for so many years. I am so thankful to have her by my side through a career that has meant so much to me. Thank you, Karin and both my boys, Nate and Ryan, for all the support and sacrifice you made, so your husband and dad could do a job that hopefully impacted a few young lives along the way.