(Footnotes denoted by a red number.)
Today, I had an amazing time at work. After leaving the alternative (1) high school I teach at mid day, I head to the alternative middle school for the last few periods. Typically, it’s hard to organize the middle schoolers…because they’re middle schoolers. The middle school age is filled with craziness as I’m sure many of you remember (Not me, I was playing Pokemon 24/7).
In an effort to break the monotony of basketball, four square, and the other simple games that we play each day (2), I decided to purchase some equipment and show my students some common activities and games we all played in our youth.
Evidently, as I’ve begun to learn each and every day, was that our my youth wasn’t necessarily like the rest of the worlds’.
Soccer.
Soccer; a staple sport of suburbia. I’ve been around soccer since I was four or five years old and it was the first organized sport that I ever played. Some may even tell you I was Freddy Adu before Freddy was Adu, but that’s neither here nor there. Equipped with two seven foot nets, a bunch of cones, and some brand new soccer balls, my students stared at me in complete confusion.
They had seen soccer, but all but one had ever played it, and none of them actually knew the rules. This shocked me to the core. IT’S SOCCER! At first, only 5 total kids out of 12 wanted to play. So in an effort to keep the lesson going strong, I took away the basketballs and footballs and forced them to watch. I made two kids act as goalie and game play started. As we played, I explained rules such as not being able to use your hands, and the proper way to throw in the ball once it’s gone out of bounds. After a few minutes and a more fluid game, the whole class joined in leading to the most fun they’ve had in PE class all year.
Still, the fact that Soccer was so foreign to me was shocking. But I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore.
Kickball.
If I had to pick my favorite sport to play, it would be one of the offsprings of baseball: i.e. Softball, Wiffleball, and of course, Kickball. Obviously I love other sports, but these offer that wonderful combination of pressure, suspense, and teamwork, with the possibility of still succeeding while being somewhat lazy (I’ll never forget chilling in Right Field eating sunflower seeds during Little League games).
Teeball is where many sluggers got their start, but they likely forgot that Kickball was right there. Honestly, my elementary school athletic memories are all Kickball memories. I loved kickball. I love kickball.
So when I set up Kickball for my 8th grade class, and one of the kids asked me, “Ay Mr. Johnson…how do we play this sh*t?,” I stood puzzled. Because of his foul language? No. But because he asked the rules to a game taught to pea brained 6 year olds.
Conclusion.
I learn something new every day.
Footnotes: (1) – “Alternative” schools are setup by districts to be the places of learning for students who are displaced from the traditional schools due to a variety of issues including: Truancy, Horrible Behavior, Consistent Fighting, Gang Affiliation, and of course probably the most common reason: No Reason. But more on that another day. (2) - The cause of this was due to my “equipment” consisting of 2 basketballs, a football, a sidewalk, and a plot of grass. I hand it to the kids though, they really did and do a great job of making due.
). Sitting a few rows behind me, she sat next to some old goon who took it upon himself to flirt up a storm with her. I immediately wanted to put my arm around her and mean mug him after the flight, but instead I instinctively carried her luggage from the over head compartment off the plane. Forever alone.
