For 25 years, Coach Caron Schiffman has used sports and coaching to teach life lessons and brighten the days of her students. 

  “People ask me, ‘Why don’t you retire?’ and I tell them that I still like it and I think that I’ve changed some people’s lives,” Schiffman said. “I feel like sports and coaching teach life lessons and I know from ex-students that I’ve touched a few lives in that way.”

Before Krop, Schiffman worked as a Physical Education and Science teacher for 20 years at Miami Beach Nautilus Middle School, the same school she attended as a child. Her passion for fitness and sports came from her childhood, growing up playing basketball and stickball with her older brother in a schoolyard across the street from their home.

Schiffman first started at Krop as a coach for the Bowling, Cross Country and Soccer teams. She is now a Volleyball and Softball coach, and teaches grades 9-12 Personal Fitness, Volleyball, Aerobics, and a Dual Enrollment class from Miami-Dade South, called Fit to Be Well.

  “Schiffy is a great coach, she focuses more on conditioning and agility training, as well as form and movement, which are really important in volleyball,” captain of the boys Volleyball team, senior Darwinsky Charles said. 

Schiffman says that she enjoys working with the staff at Krop and praises them for their commitment to the students and their jobs. She also believes that sports and coaching impart valuable skills to students.

During the last 15-20 minutes of her dual enrollment classes, Schiffman takes her students to the padded wrestling room, where she puts on a meditation video and practices methods of mindfulness with her students. 

“I come from a household where my elders taught me how to treat people right, but never really held down lessons on how you can help yourself,” junior Ame Cooper said. “Coach Schiffy has helped me achieve that and understand the power and potential within yourself to do great for yourself and others.”

Schiffman also teaches CPR as mandated for her freshmen students, and offers it to the rest of her students so that they can get certified as well. She says that it can be a useful skill and could be beneficial if a student is interested in getting a summer job. She tries to incorporate it after school or the weekends since it is not a school requirement.

 “I think Schiffy is a great teacher,” senior Marline Apollon said. “She is very considerate and gives us a lot of time to do our homework.”

Schiffman says that she loves to stay active and keep outside. She’s done three half Ironmans (a triathlon consisting of 70.3 miles total). She has four dogs and likes to take them on walks. She also enjoys biking with her daughters, and she trained her dogs to run alongside her while she bikes.

When asked what message she wishes to teach her students in life, Schiffman said, “Be kind, be respectful, and give 100 percent.”