Read the following reflection from Laurie G, one of our teachers at BCCS!
On my first day of student teaching at a rural high school, I went to meet the school’s seasoned teachers while following my mentor teacher into the lunchroom. As I stepped in and nervously smiled, a teacher boisterously yelled across the room to my supervisor, “Wait, you're telling me you need another teacher to roll out a ball?” This comment was followed by raucous laughter. I remember my cheeks turning as red as my hair and I looked around hopefully for someone to defend my newly chosen profession.
I have been teaching in various capacities since 1996 and while I have taught children sports skills, I have also taught social skills like kindness, perseverance, integrity, courage, empathy, discipline, patience, and resourcefulness. Every day I get to encourage my students to practice what my Calvin University professors outlined in my Physical Education teacher training; “share, care and play fair.” However, have I thought about what story my classroom will tell? Have I conveyed my deep hope? Have I taught character and social skills with the same vigor as physical/sport skills? Here is where I take a step back and pause to reflect on the bigger goal; telling a Baraka kind of story.
My hope has always been that my students are seeing what is valued in our class; kindness not competition wins. I believed that by being a caring and empathetic teacher, my students would learn these character traits almost through some sort of sweaty, gym osmosis. More than anything else, I want my students to learn how to be a good person. But really, I want them to be so much more than good. I want them to have strong, Godly-character. I want them to be people who have confidence, show responsibility, lead others well, participate in community, be a good steward of the gifts and abilities they have been given, and be like Christ. These “wants” require a growth mindset and healthy habits of learning. I’m hoping the story my classroom will tell is that being Christ-like is “winning” and that honoring God with our bodies is good, holy work. I hope that my students understand that they are all valuable in our gym just like they are all crucial in God’s story. They have an important role that only they can play in this larger story.
What I thought would come very naturally to my students typically doesn’t and let’s be honest, some families seem to be living their own “Babel story.” The competing stories of having to always be the best, never losing, winning no matter what even if you have to cheat, and promoting your own abilities over someone elses are distracting at times and completely overpowering at others. The story that physical education isn’t as important as the “core classes” can be disheartening and discouraging but I look forward to inviting all of my students to join in a “Blessing-God Story'' in our gym and will do so with a reckless, hopeful heart.