Mr. Calvetti and Coach Wooden
Swen Nater

As an interested guest observer in Mr. Calvetti’s 6th grade classroom about ten years ago, I was expecting the Victorville (California) District Teacher of the Year to demonstrate exemplary pedagogical skills. He did some of that but that wasn’t the main reason for his success. He ran his classroom like a business which facilitated high efficiency, organization, and productivity. He was the CEO but he delegated significant responsibilities to his students to help run the class. Like in a business, the others were trying to move into those prestigious positions. As I watched I realized, this is exactly how Coach Wooden ran his team. Here are some of those jobs I witnessed Mr. Calvetti’s students perform.

The Greeter
I checked in at the office, put on my visitor’s badge, and was met by a girl student, no taller than my waist, who looked up at me (may have hurt her neck looking up) and very respectfully asked, “May I take you to Mr. Calvetti’s class, Mr. Nater?” I was so shocked I almost forgot to say, “Yes.”

The Roll Taker
The bell had already rung and all the students of the school were in class, except Mr. Calvetti’s. They were finishing walking their one lap around the school grounds. (He told me later this seemed to calm them down and get them more ready to learn.) With all students seated, Mr. Calvetti handed a clipboard with a piece of paper to one boy and said, “Roll call, please.” With that prompt, the students called out their names in a preset order (nicknames like Blondie, Mack Truck, Pilot, Batman, and Scooby-Doo) while the boy with the clipboard checked them off. Because of the sequence, if a student was absent, there would be a pause. That’s when the boy with the clipboard took note and said, “Continue.” The entire process took thirty seconds. When finished, the boy walked the paper to the office and was back in a flash. While all this was going on, Mr. Calvetti was preparing for the first lesson.

The Coffee Maker
While The Roll Taker was gone, a girl got out of her seat, walked to the back of the class where I was seated, and asked, “Mr. Nater. Would you like some coffee?” I said that I would and she asked if I wanted cream and/or sugar. Mr. Calvetti had a pot of coffee ready. That little bugger made perfect coffee and handed it to me.

The Supplies Providers
First was a grammar lesson. Mr. Calvetti said, “Open your books to page 15. Let’s hand out sharp pencils and blank paper.” Before he finished the sentence, two students got up and did what he requested. During the lesson, he had a roll of raffle tickets close by and, when he thought a student’s performance warranted recognition, he handed him or her half of the ticket and put the other half in a jar. At the end of the day, tickets were picked for nominal prizes like cool pencils and erasers.

After lunch, Mr. Calvetti taught the 5th-6th Math Club, students that competed against other schools. That day, they learned the multiplication table for 12s. It was one of the most competitive events I have ever witnessed. Again, Mr. Calvetti ran the show but he had two students (the same as for the grammar lesson) hand out blank paper and sharp pencils, throughout the lesson, upon request. The process is difficult to fully explain here, but the pace was rapid and, one-by-one, students were eliminated until there was a winner. Again, raffle tickets were handed out.

Sports vs. Classroom Motivation
By nature, the team sports setting is more conducive for student motivation to improve themselves than the classroom because the players are competing for playing time. Competition for playing time is a great motivator. Generally speaking, that does not happen in a classroom because there is no equivalent to playing time.

However, Mr. Calvetti was able to pull it off. “Playing time,” in his classroom, was being a sort of assistant teacher and he had very positive results similar to those found in sports. Students who held positions worked to keep up their grades and give effort so they could hold on to them. The others worked hard to get those jobs.

Coach Wooden and Mr. Calvetti
I don’t believe Mr. Calvetti ever met Coach Wooden but it sure seemed like he had learned from him. Our roles in practice were not handing out basketballs, towels, or drinks. Our roles were playing in the games. As Mr. Calvetti’s students worked hard for their “playing time,” prestigious positions of responsibility, we competed for game time.

In the Victorville teacher’s class it was understood, the roles were occupied by certain individuals and it was up to the rest to try and beat them out. Likewise, Coach Wooden made it very clear in our preseason meeting, “Those that had the positions last year have them now. It’s up to the rest of you to beat them out.”

It was a rare occurrence when a player missed a UCLA practice. Mr. Calvetti had an unequalled attendance record. This comes as no surprise for, if you had a role and were not in class, somebody else did your job that day and, depending on how good he or she was, your position was up for review. On the other hand, you would not be able to take advantage of the opportunity to move into a job if you were not in school. This was the same at UCLA. But, darn it! Bill was never absent.

Conclusion
Mr. Calvetti ran his classroom much like Coach Wooden ran his team, by placing students in positions of leadership and creating a system where the others could earn those spots. For Mr. Calvetti, a position of leadership was playing a role in the operation of the classroom. For Coach, leadership was a role of playing in the games. This is not only smart group management (organization, order, achievement) but it is also good training for adult life, particularly the corporate competitive world. I know; I’m right in the middle of it.