Here’s this week’s story (sorry for the blurs i didn’t want to put the other kids on the internet without permission):
Title: The Last Basketball Game of the Season
Story:
Today was David’s last basketball class for the season. This is his second year playing and he has improved so much over time. Yes, he’s still a long way from some of the superstar players on his team but he’s a lot more comfortable on the court and he’s participating very actively in the games. More importantly, he’s part of this wonderful group of very supportive players.
David’s team won all but four games this season including this very last game. David gave his best this game and so did all the other boys. It was really wonderful to see that both of the fourth grade teachers also made it to the game so they could cheer their students on.
I grew up doing no sports whatsoever so, to me, all of this is very new and I find the whole process foreign. Even though David’s inclination, like me, is to stay home and read and stay away from sports, I wanted to make sure he had experience being part of a team, and playing games that might not come easily to him.
The way basketball is offered in his school is the very best possible introduction to sports, in my opinion. Almost everyone in the class participates so the amount of experience and ability is a wide range. Competition is there but is not core to the experience and all the kids know this and they cheer each other on and encourage each other to be their best selves. When one makes a mistake, all the others are there to comfort him and tell him it’s no big deal and when one does exceptionally well, they pat him in the back and congratulate him heartily. It’s really rewarding to watch how kind they are to each other.
We have one more year of this before it’s time for middle school and who knows what the dynamic will be there, but in the meantime, I am grateful that David is willing to give this a try even though I know it’s not easy for him. I am grateful to the school for offering such a safe environment for the kids. And I am grateful to these kids who go out of their way to encourage each other.
Congratulations, my sweet boy. Here’s to another wonderful year in fifth grade.
Stories of Twenty Fifteen is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.
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