It's a Bird, It's a Plane ...

As a first year teacher, I am hoping to offer a male perspective on teaching in an elementary school environment.

Of all the interesting and exciting events that have happened in my young teaching career, I can think of one particular situation that reminds me why I love being a male elementary school teacher. It happened a few days ago, when I was out on the playground with my students. A young child came running up to me with a football. “Mr. Schwartz, can you throw the football as high as you can in the air please?” he asked. Without any hesitation, I wound up and heaved the ball straight up with all of my might. After the football returned safely to the ground, the little boy ran up to examine it. As he held the ball away from his body and up to his eyes, he looked bewildered and exhilarated. Being the slightly paranoid, concerned teacher that I am, I ran up to ask him if everything was all right. He looked me in the eye and responded genuinely, “Yeah, I was just wiping the clouds off the ball.”

Nothing makes a guy feel better than having a child marvel at his super human strength. The same child now monitors me on the playground to make sure I don’t throw the football when there are planes above.

Post made by Hal Schwartz, March 2009 blogger.