Staff vs Students Basketball Game

Mr. Sye taking a much-needed rest ;]

I say this with a lot of humility, I’m still having a little trouble walking after our thrilling game. My 32 year old body doesn’t heal as quickly as it used to. Needless to say, the staff beat the boys basketball team 42-41 in overtime. I had 8pts, 3 rebounds, and countless 3 second violations…LoL That 6th to 8th Grade team gave us a run for our money. I felt like collapsing several times, but it was all in fun. I took my 5th period class to the event. I even let my Language Arts/Writing classes know that they could use this as their event for their current assignment [Investigative Reporting Assignment]. All in all, it was obviously about more than a staff vs. students game. For students, it was a chance to take on their elders and have some bragging rights. For teachers and staff, it was a chance to be shown in a more jovial light and hopefully not embarrass ourselves. Especially yours truly, who had engaged in a bit of light-hearted trash talking during the week leading up to the game;]

I’ve been told, ” if you want to show kids you care about them, some of it has to happen outside the classroom.” Perhaps it was my father, or it was in a book I read during my post-bacc teacher certification program. Either way, the notion of the previously mentioned has stuck with me throughout my teaching career. I can remember my favorite moments in school were when a teacher would ask me about a game/match I had over the weekend (football or wrestling). It was also very nice to see some of my teachers in the stands or on the sidelines. Those moments gave a signal to me that, yes, they are my teacher, and they care how I do in school as well as how I do as a person. It’s important for teachers that want their students to be invested in what they are trying to teach them to have moments like the before-mentioned. It is also important to note that it doesn’t have to be a sporting event because not all kids play sports. Show some interest in a kid’s life outside of the classroom, and it can go a long way as far as work output as well as classroom behavior…

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