A Good Monday Morning

The best part of my work week occurred bright and early Monday morning. Monday I went straight to the Wang YMCA at 8:30am excited to be a part of the Quincy Upper School’s PE classes (which are held at the YMCA and taught by YMCA staff) for the first time. Although I enjoyed all three classes the first class of the day was the most rewarding.
During the first class I spent most of the time working with one group of sixth grade girls who I found sitting on the bleachers. They were huddled in the corner talking quietly to each other and did not look very happy. After introducing myself to them and learning each of their names I asked them what they were up to and why they weren’t participating in any games/physical activity. I was told that one of the girls (who was visibly crying) was very upset because she had lost her art project. After talking with her and trying to help her solve her problem, but failing to fix the situation, I suggested I teach them the game “head catch,” which my fellow co-op Kristen had taught me. I thought this would distract her and in the process she would have some fun and feel better. At first the girls were hesitant to participate, they just wanted to talk and sit, but I eventually convinced them to try it out. They liked the idea of the game and in the end the girl who had been crying was the first to start playing. Even though the girls complained that it hurt to “head” the ball they still told me they want to play “head catch” again next week! This was a success not only because I was able to get a few girls up off the bench and participating, but also because when the girl who was crying began participating in the game it brightened her spirits and illustrated the power that physical activity has to the health of not only our bodies, but also our minds and spirits.
I think this situation is a great example of how important it is for kids, especially in a community with such high academic standards, to have time to exercise and have fun. Throughout our time thus far at Sport in Society we have talked a lot about the importance of sport in kids’ lives and how unfortunate it is that so many students don’t have the opportunity to participate in physical activity. Seeing the transformative nature of physical activity and sport in such an everyday situation brought many of the larger ideas we have been talking about home to me and I think it helped to reground me in the work we are doing.