Eby Teaches Students Through Coaching and by Playing Soccer at a High Level
As a journalist sometimes you get lucky when researching a story and you come across something or someone that makes you do a double take and say to yourself “this is an amazing story that I can’t wait to tell people about.”
A few weeks ago I started looking in doing a story about sport teams at The New York School for the Deaf in White Plains. Early into the process I was introduced to Matthew Eby, the school’s athletic director. Eby is entering his second year in his position. He also coaches the school’s boys soccer and basketball teams.
Eby isn’t just a good school administrator and coach but he is also a very accomplished athlete in his own right and is a wonderful role model to his students. He has been a member of the United States National Deaf Team since 2004. He has competed in numerous international soccer competitions including the most recent Pan American Games in Venezuela where his soccer team qualified for the 2012 Deaf World Cup which is scheduled to be played in Turkey in July of 2012. Eby has also competed in soccer at the professional level for a team named Real Maryland.
He has a tremendous love for sports and teaching deaf students. “I grew up as an athlete and I love working with kids who are deaf. I’m deaf so I feel that I have some commonality with them so I can encourage them and develop their self esteem so they never feel that they are lesser. They can do anything,” said Eby.
Eby got his start in coaching at Galludet University which is a college for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. During his years at Galludet he was a star player in both basketball and soccer and he started coaching after his college playing days were over.
As fate would have it Eby landed at the New York School for the Deaf because of a friend. “I heard about it through a friend who let me know there was a job opportunity here. Originally I’m from Pennsylvania so I felt it was close to home and actually there was an opening in New York for me and I thought okay and I’m really happy I did come here.”
During the fall they offer soccer for boys and volleyball for girls. In the winter season there is boys and girls basketball and cheerleading. Come spring time the school has a track program. One day Eby hopes to bring back football to the high school. As of press time, the boys basketball team has a record of 2-4 and the girls are 1-4 so far this season
Eby is a strong believer that sports can have a positive effect on his high school students. “They’re very important. They’re learn social skills and the importance of team work and they develop that collaborative spirit and most of all they learn to support each other and I believe those are applicable skills to their jobs in the future and also they have to do well in school. They have a policy and they earn a right to play,” said Eby.
Another reason Eby believes in the importance of sports for his students is that it gives them an outlet that they don’t always get at home. “I wanted to add that most of the students are deaf,” said Eby. “Most deaf students are from hearing families and they really don’t have any communication or they go home and do nothing. Sports keeps them busy and they enjoy the after school programs here and that’s a real positive for them.”
This fall was Eby’s first season coaching soccer. With his accomplished background and skills for the game he can really help his players learn a lot about the game. “I show them the skills. I show them the strategic plays in the game. The students now understand the game better and that is very important. I play (soccer) with them and I demonstrate and explain the different things that they need to know. When they see it then they improve,” said Eby.
Eby believes that sports help students gain more confidence but also recognizes that communication is very challenging at times while students play sports. “Yes indeed. Their self esteem is heightened because I tell them you have skills, use those skills that you have,” said Eby. “Everything is visual for deaf students. They have to keep their eyes open because they don’t hear anything. They’re constantly alert and looking. Sometimes I will give them a sign to get their attention. When the play stops I make comments. Everybody knows their positions, they’re set up and they follow them through the game. It’s a challenge for them but they can do it all through their eyes.”
Sports also have a social value for his student that they might get in the class room. “Meeting friends they’re in school all day together but in sports they have more time to chat. They have a good time. It’s a learning experience as well and they have an opportunity to show off their skills as well.”
He tries as a coach and as a person to use his athletic experience as another teaching mechanism for his students to learn from and he encourages them to ask questions about his soccer playing.
“One day I have told my story about the games in Venezuela. At the end the kids had so many questions for me. They were excellent questions about my experience and I was happy to share it and they said they learned so much,” said Eby. “It’s important for them to know that there are a deaf Olympics and maybe one day they can participate in that. I told them that it is important for them to have a passion for sports if they want to stay in the game.”
The students at New York School for Deaf are very lucky to have a passionate and caring athletic director like Eby who continues to be a great role model for them by continuing to compete in soccer at an international level. He provides them an opportunity to talk with and learn from a person who has faced many of the same challenges they’ve had in their life.
After talking to a man like Eby you walk away in awe over the person who is so determined, has accomplished so much and an individual who has the opportunity to touch so many young students’ lives.
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