Last Friday my 6th graders had PE and I was excited to see them and after the class was over, I don’t think I could have been any more proud of any class.
First, let me start off by saying that the 6th graders, when I first started about 3 months ago were the biggest pain in my ass! They didn’t listen, they fooled around, a fight broke out, it was just chaotic. But after figuring out the personalities in the class and learning about them and what they need, they have been my very best and favorite class by far! And Friday, they made me fall in love with them even more.
On with the story…Friday was our first day of the track and field unit, so we were outside and I explained to them the concept of pacing. They understood and I gave them their assignment; they were to run for 8 minutes straight without stopping and upon completion of that and a good long water break and rest, we would time a 1/2 mile run.
Ready go….they all start their run and I remind them of pacing as they go and I am counting down the time they have left throughout the 8 minutes. I am watching and listening and then I see many students (probably about 5) cheering on one child in the class; This child suffers from a disability and it is harder for him to do certain things. He is doing a great job and he gets a great big smile on his face when his classmates cheer him on. As we are winding down the 8 minutes, he is getting really tired and nearly the whole class his cheering him on as they run with him. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Water break!! As I say this, I continue to watch as the students all give this child high fives and hugs and telling him how great he did! It was so touching to see this, and I really couldn’t have been more proud of my class. They are all truly amazing. The teamwork was amazing and I could see the happiness in the boy’s eyes as he received congratulations from his classmates.
Then the kids take their water break and are resting and still congratulating him and others in the class. Breaks Over!! They all line up and get ready to run the timed 1/2 mile. I let them know the best score I had seen so far was 3:01 (A 8th grade girl). Of course many wanted to beat it! Ready GO! They take off. Two boys are really hoofing it and trying to make it under the 3:01. They were a little shy of winning, and they both came in at 3:04. The rest of the class finishes under 5 minutes. The two boys ask if they can run it again. (This was not required, the wanted to), I say, Sure! They take off, the rest of the class, who are now watching the two boys who want to try again, are cheering them on loudly. They have about 1 lap to go and I tell them they have to speed up if they want to beat the 3:01 time. They start moving faster and about 15 kids that were watching get up to run with them to keep them going and keep them motivated. They finish. They didn’t make it under the 3:01 but they finished and the teamwork and class support was just amazing and I was truly proud of them all!
I am really going to miss this school when Libby comes back from maternity leave (I am subbing for her long-term) and I will especially miss this 6th grade class! I am going to make sure to really enjoy my last 2 weeks with them!
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