Sports, Education... and Hope.

This week’s @steemiteducation homework assignment is centered around sports. Normally, that would be right in my wheelhouse. Unfortunately, I was so busy geeking out that I had not planned to participate this week.

Then something amazing happened.

On Thursday, one of my students stayed after class. After everyone else had left, she asked my teaching assistant and me, “Can I tell you something?”

Uh oh. That usually means something very serious.

It was serious alright.

Seriously awesome!

Hope had stayed back to tell me about what she called, “The best night of her life”.

Hope is 15 years old. She loves to read, participate in class and challenge herself to answer difficult questions. She is clever and has a great sense of humor. She is incredibly outgoing and enjoys hanging out with her friends and teammates.

Oh and Hope happens to have Cerebral Palsy.

This congenital disorder makes it very difficult for Hope to control her muscles. It negatively impacts her speech, physical movement and ability to write. It is quite difficult for Hope to walk without losing her balance. But she does. She walks. She just walks a little more slowly than her peers.

But back to the important part… the best night of her life.

Hope’s face lit up as she struggled to form the words to explain what had happened. Sometimes she had to repeat those words so we could understand. Thanks to her undying effort, we did.

The previous night, Hope had participated in an indoor track and field event. She ran the 800 meters for our team. She was incredibly happy to report that she had recorded the fastest time she ever had in her life. I explained to her that this was called a “personal best” and that she should be extremely proud of herself. I told her how excited I was for her and began to head to my next class (which was in a classroom at the other end of the building).

She said, “That’s not it. It was awesome because everyone stayed and no one tried to hurry me or tell me the race was over.”

Wait!

This whole time I was thinking she was talking about our Special Olympic Track and Field team. But that doesn’t start until the spring. No. She was describing the school’s official team.

Regardless of which team it was, I would have been very impressed with her running her personal best. But that was just a minor detail in “the best night of her life”.

Hope is a member of the Freshman Track and Field team. She competed against other Freshman from several other schools.

She finished dead last.

But she finished.

Hope may have been the last kid on the track, but she was definitely not alone.
(This picture is from the 2016 Summer Olympics. Hope isn't in the Olympics...yet.)

She described the scene for me. It seems that instead of leaving after their race was over, every single member of every team stood in the middle of the field house and cheered Hope on as she slowly made her way around the track.

According to Hope, every parent rose to their feet to join the athletes. She later discovered that with every step she took, parents approached her mom to congratulate her.

No one complained that she was taking too long or even considered ending the race before she finished. She was a competitor who had earned the right to cross the finish line. Just like every other girl, she did.

Hope’s smile reached maximum capacity as she said, “and no one felt sorry for me.”

She continued, “They were cheering me because I was doing it. Not out of pity. I don’t want to be pitied. I can do anything.”

She can.

She does.

For a moment I lamented the fact that I was not there to witness this accomplishment. That would have been awesome! Then I realized this had nothing to do with me at all. This wasn’t about my joy at witnessing the event. It was about Hope. Every time she tells that story, she will be reliving the greatest moment of her life. I am lucky that I got to be part of that.

I hope... Hope will earn many.

This week’s @steemiteducation assignment asked, “How do you get kids to participate in sports?”

My answer is simple.

I can’t.

But Hope can.

Hope will.

She will encourage her friends and classmates to get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves. She will convince them to join her in striving for their personal best. She will instill in them the belief that they too can do anything.

Hope will.

Images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6