By Lindsay Campbell, TLS freelance writer
Rob Smart is no new face to Carleton University. As a faculty member for the school of business and a long-time member of the coaching staff for the Ravens men’s basketball team, teaching is second nature.
Smart began coaching at Carleton 12 years ago. Three years later, he started teaching in the classroom as he worked to complete his PhD.
Since then, he has completed his PhD and teaches second year business in organizational behaviour, a third year course in organizational systems design and a fourth year course in training and development.
Currently, he has stepped up to take on a new role as interim head coach while previous coach, Dave Smart, is on sabbatical.
Photo by Jolson Lim
Smart recalls many highlights throughout the course of working with young people both on the court and in the classroom. He says he likes helping others achieve their goals in different environments.
“My favourite thing about teaching is challenging people,” he says. “I love it when people push their limits and don’t care if others think their goals are ridiculous or that they shouldn’t have them.”
In his training and development course, Smart essentially teaches fourth year students how to teach a class of second years. He says it is one of his most preferred classes because of its interactive structure.
“I get to work with my students closely in that class and it’s great because some of them have a real passion for it. They really enjoy the teaching and that makes it a lot of fun for me,” he says.
He added that it is always interesting to watch his students’ progress over the school year.
“Last year one of our best teachers was one who said ‘I’m too quiet,’” he says. “Throughout the year we tried to make her more aware of her strengths and how that helps her as a teacher. When she saw how her differences were strengths, she became one of the best and that was really great to see.“
While Smart enjoys the classroom environment, he says his coaching career has generally been more rewarding because of the relationship he has with his players.
“You’re a lot closer with your players, just cause you see them everyday and you see them in a more emotional settings,” he explains.
While he does favour the court over the classroom, Smart stresses that he keeps one important thing in mind wherever he is teaching.
“My main goal has always been to never have them forget what I’m here for. I’m here to help people and get through their struggles so they can enjoy the things they’re doing and get better at it.”