Coaching Soccer, Putting on Ballet slippers again and Singing to Taylor Swift alone in my car: 3 things I never thought I’d do and how they make me a better teacher
Coaching soccer from the sidelines
I remember my mom telling me that her musical tastes expanded when she started taking me to dance lessons. Before that, she had never listened to classical music. I was in high school at the time and remember feeling a sense of awe that a child could teach something to her parent. Little did I know that I would find myself in this same position over and over again as both a parent and teacher. Here is the secret:
Kids teach us that we are always evolving!
And hence the title of this blog post: 3 things I never thought I would do… There is a thread here:
All three activities demonstrate my evolution as a mom, teacher and human.
All three help me connect to my daughters and students.
All three position me as a learner.
Here’s how:
Coaching Soccer
I spent my school age years in leotards and ballet slippers, not cleats and shin guards. In fact, I joke that my soccer career began and ended in the 6th grade when I was hit in the cheek with the ball (I can still feel the sting)! Yet, when my youngest daughter was in first grade and our soccer league needed coaches, my partner, Stu, and I volunteered to help. Mercifully, Stu is a skilled soccer player so he did the technical coaching while I managed and organized. I kept thinking I would step down from this role as the kids got older but I stayed with it eventually learning what “off sides” meant and even calling out a foul at a recent game. Coaching gave me more time with my daughters and, since many students ended up on our teams, I also got to know my students outside of school.
Ballet slippers
I loved dancing when I was young but there were downsides: the pressure to compete for roles, the constant self-criticism of my body, and the blisters and blood from pointe shoes. I left dance behind in my 20s and opted for yoga instead. But years later, the longing to dance returned. At first, I had trouble finding dance classes for adults but once SPAC School of the Arts opened in my hometown, I enthusiastically signed up. I started with modern dance but switched to ballet after hearing such wonderful things about the instructor, Patrice. Before I knew it, I was back at the dance store fitting my older feet into ballet slippers.
While I experienced the joy of muscle memory, I was once again a student of ballet. I had to remember the combinations and listen to my body when it fought certain steps that once came easily to me. While my daughters never took up dance, many students have so I can connect with this part of their identity.
In class with my fabulous instructor, Patrice.
Taylor Swift
This topic deserves a post of its own purely for my complete 180 degree attitude shift on Taylor Swift and her music. I admit that I judged her music as “all the same- about love and heartbreak”. It seemed like music for tweens and teens, certainly not a mom and teacher in her 40s. Alas, as I did for my mom, my daughter expanded my musical taste. Lucia convinced me to watch Swift’s documentary. “Miss Americana” and it left me with a newfound respect for Swift. Lucia then eased me into some of Swift’s later albums, specifically “Folklore” and “Evermore” and I was hooked. Once I saw how much her music meant to and helped my daughter, I couldn't help but pay attention. So, this Friday night, we are going to see the Taylor Swift movie. Of course, as a teacher of many “Swifties”, this connection over pop culture goes a long way!
These three things I never thought I would do are a testament to how we are always evolving and surprising ourselves. The openness and willingness to be in the position of learner makes us better parents and teachers.
