Another Sports Analogy: Softball and Math...

I’m currently sitting here icing a welt on my chin and wondering, “What the heck did I get myself into?” 

About a month ago, when a friend asked me if I wanted to play on his coed softball team, I thought, “Sure, that sounds fun!”  I enjoy recreational sports and I’m usually okay at them, so even though I haven’t played softball since high school P.E., I thought with a little practice it would be fun.

I was a bit nervous since I hadn’t caught a softball for over ten years, so I got my friends together to do a little practice hitting and catching.  And then…the fear hit.  I was TERRIBLE.  I found myself scared of the ball and completely unable to catch a single thing coming towards me.  As someone who likes to think of myself as athletic, it was embarrassing.

But those of you who know me know I don’t like to half-ass things.  When I’m in it, I’m in it.  So for the past month I have been catching almost daily…and I’ve improved…sort of.  I know the analogies for sports and academics have been beaten to death, but as I’ve practiced hard, failed repeatedly, and progressed tiny bit by tiny bit, I began to make a connection between my experience and the experiences my kids go through every day when they walk into my classroom.

As a teacher, I look at my kids and think, “If they only tried a little harder, they’d get it!  It’s not THAT hard!”  But I have to admit, when I got clocked in the face for the third or fourth time today with a grounder that I should have caught, but didn’t, part of me was ready to throw down my mitt, cry, and quit. 

If there’s one thing that trying something new and difficult has given me, it’s empathy.  I understand a little bit why the kids who don’t get it the second or third time it’s explained to them, don’t necessarily want to try a fourth or fifth time, and while I have no easy solutions for how to motivate the kids who don’t have a solid math foundation or a natural grasp of the material, I think that empathy will make me a more understanding, more patient, and hopefully, a more encouraging teacher.

This realization comes at a perfect time for me, as I am working to revamp a Geometry curriculum that I’ve taught for 4 years.  To be honest, last year I could see myself being short with students when they asked questions I thought ought to be obvious.  Now that I’ve been humbled a bit, maybe I’ll be able to see their questions through their eyes rather than my “expert” view.

I think it would be worthwhile for every teacher to periodically try something new, especially something that doesn’t come naturally to them.  It has been a good experience for me, and I hope it’ll translate into my teaching.

As for softball, I’m still working on it...I want to be able to tell my kids this year that I kept trying...Hey, three weeks ago I wouldn’t have gotten hit in the face because I wouldn’t have been anywhere near the ball, right? =P  I think the thing I need to work on most is just having fun and doing my best…my first game is this week…wish me luck!