Parent Code of Conduct

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  1. SPEECH
    James 3:9-10 – “With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”
    1. Choose your words and you're timing wisely. Be aware of the things you are saying and around whom you are saying them. Other parents, students and the coach’s family members can be hurt by careless comments made around them. Questionable language or any negative and insulting language must be avoided.
    2. Be positive and encouraging. Your words can be very powerful either for good or for bad. You can make any situation a positive one by lifting up your child and others. Let them know they are important to you and have an important role on the team.
    3. Never criticize the officials or coaches. Officials and coaches represent authority for your son or daughter, so athletics allows a great opportunity to model to your child how to respect a person in authority. Hold your child accountable to act with respect toward coaches and officials and model that behavior for them.
    4. Never be involved in negative cheering. Show sportsmanship and class by only engaging in positive cheering regardless of the opponent's cheering method.
    5. Never speak negatively around the students or other parents about:
      1. The school – Negativity can be contagious, but fortunately so can an attitude of gratitude.
      2. Other students or parents – Speak to parents about only your child and their child unless they speak very highly of others. Be an encouragement to all members of the team. Only speak about other teammates’ parents in a genuinely complimentary manner.
    6. Never criticize your child’s teammates.
    7. Always resolve differences with your coaches out of sight of other students and parents and with the utmost respect and tact. Wait 24 hours if tensions are high. Set up an appointment to speak privately with the coach. Pray about your motives, what you will say and for a spirit of unity as you prepare to meet. Show respect for the coach always but especially in the presence of your child, even in disagreement.
  2. RELATIONSHIPS
    John 15:12 – “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
    1. Develop relationships and a good reputation with the team. God has provided an opportunity through your child to minister to and encourage other students and parents.
    2. Develop relationships and a good reputation with other parents. Develop a sense of kingdom unity as you join with other parents in a common interest. Use this as an opportunity to pray and support each other.
    3. Develop relationships and a good reputation with parents from other schools. The relationships you develop outside the school will be a reflection on the entire Geneva community and provide many opportunities to live as a testimony of Christ’s work in you.
    4. Develop relationships and a good reputation with the coaches. Get to know and pray for your coaches. If they have a spouse, get to know and pray for them too. A coach’s spouse needs more support and encouragement than most realize. You and your coaches are working together for the benefit of your child.
  3. UNITY
    1 Corinthians 12:26 – “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
    1. Develop unity within the school family. Support all Geneva students and staff by attending events, both athletic and non-athletic. Everyone at the school has different roles and abilities, so never be jealous or envious of someone else’s role or ability.
    2. Develop unity outside the school family. Share Geneva’s Athletic Philosophy. Help spread the word about the things God is doing at Geneva.
  4. MOTIVES
    Corinthians 10:31 – “In whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
    1. Be motivated by the love of God. We love because God first loved us.
    2. Strive for victory as a tool to teach your students. Athletics is a means to an end and not the end itself. The real value of competition is not the wins and losses, but the lessons learned through the striving after wins. Perfection is impossible but striving for perfection is not. Failure is a means to success when handled correctly. If you can teach this to your child, they will realize success in life.
    3. Teach your child to abide by the spirit and letter of the rules. Support the idea that unethical tactics and strategy are not options.
    4. Use your child’s experience in athletics as an opportunity to be involved in their life. Your relationship with your child extends well beyond the school years. Have a vision for what you want your child to look like as an adult and start investing in them now in ways that will shape and mold their future. Athletics provides a great medium in which to do that.
  5. BEHAVIOR
    1 John 2:6 – “whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
    1. Maintain class and character. You are setting an example for your child. Your actions in all avenues of life will reflect you, your family, Geneva and ultimately your Lord.
    2. Always insist that your child follows instructions. Coaches depend on a player’s ability to follow instruction immediately and without question. Questions can be addressed at the appropriate time, such as after the game or in practice.
    3. Show respect for game officials. Badgering an official to persuade a call our way comes at a high cost – that being our Christian testimony and the ministry effectiveness of Geneva. (Besides being a very ineffective way of inducing change and often it backfires!) There is never an appropriate instance in which a parent should say anything to an official besides thank you. No one would be able to play the game without officials.
    4. Remain in the stands. Never attempt to approach the field, court, bench area, press box, score table or the officials before, during or after a competition. Socially visiting with the coach or staff briefly after the game is encouraged; however, game officials are off limits.
    5. Be modest in victory and gracious in defeat. Victory is our goal, but discipling tomorrow’s leaders is our purpose. We must keep this in perspective.
    6. Recognize the success of your opponent. Recognize the good playing of our opponents and congratulate players and coaches from other schools. Shake hands with the opponents’ spectators if appropriate.
    7. Do not coach your child from the stands. Doing so is confusing to that athlete and team and may be undermining the objectives and game plans of the coach who has spent considerable time formulating a game plan and team specific roles.
    8. Teach your child their special purpose from God. Do not compare or contrast them to others. Help them fulfill their full potential and purpose by supporting them, helping them embrace their strengths and encouraging them to work hard to improve their weaknesses.
    9. Have fun, touch lives and be yourself. Being a parent of an athlete is a lot of work and sacrifice, but it can also be a great time of fellowship and opportunity. Be diligent and prepared for the opportunities God may bring to invest in others.
    10. Always demonstrate Christ-like behavior and keep fellow parents accountable to doing the same. If needed, be willing to lovingly admonish behavior contradictory to this code of conduct. Conduct detrimental to the testimony of the school could result in removal from the athletic arena.