When I’m in the classroom, trying to command the attention of fifty second or third graders, I often wish I had more space. It’s hard to keep them in their chairs and sometimes I just want to open the doors and let them run a little of their energy off. I want to set them free. When they get noisy or squirmy it would be great to have a spot to release them for two minutes so they could get the fidgets out of their systems. Last fall, my school gave the kids one big chance to run (and skip, jump and shot put) in their fall sports meeting.
Mini-Olympics
Having very little experience as a teacher in a public school, I had no idea what to expect when my teacher friends said we were going to have a sports meeting. I remembered field days we used to have when I was in elementary school, way back in the early 90s. I thought maybe we’d have a race or two. What I did understand was that we didn’t have class and I was okay with that! I knew I didn’t have to prepare lessons and I was free to wander the playground and watch the students compete. I thought maybe there would be races but I had no idea that this two-day event would begin with pageantry and ceremony, much like the Olympics, minus the torch. Because hey, they’re kids and probably shouldn’t run with fire.
The first day, all the English teachers – except for me – wore matching Adidas warm-up jackets. They looked pretty sharp! They stuck me in the middle of our group and we assembled in line near the playground to march with the rest of the departments. We walked in front of a judges’ table, then around the track and football pitch (soccer field) to our spot in the middle.
The parade of the athletes
Behind the teachers and other staff members came the students, divided into grades and class. Each grade has several classes and each class was led by one proud student who carried the class sign. While the main event, the sports meeting, is a place for the student athletes to compete, this opening ceremony enables every student to take part in competition. Each class is judged on a presentation or performance. Some students dressed in elaborate outfits, some danced. All were enthusiastic and colorful.
There were a few multi-class performances from different clubs and teams; the basketball team dribbled a little here and there but the drums beat them. The drums were my favorite. A week prior to the sports meeting, I could hear the drum team practicing outside onstage and their music stirred me from my seat in the English office. I was blown away when I got to see them play. Their intensity gave me goosebumps.
Take a lap!
This sports meeting was like a track and field event; there were individual races, relay races, long jump, high
jump and shot put. Not every student participated in a sport; instead, they each carried their chairs down – some down three flights of stairs – to the playground to sit and watch their classmates. For the most part, they sat well together all along the track, screaming “加油!” (pronounced “jie yo” and is an encouraging phrase, like “you can do it!” It literally means “to fill a car with petrol.”) It didn’t take long for me to join the kids in yelling “ja yo!” up and down the track.
Ni haio, jump!
Another favorite event of mine was the high jump. I am unsure of the level of training
these kids receive in each event, but I appreciated their dedication to their sport and the creativity with which they approached it.
To the left you can see one of my second graders, adopting an unusually wide starting stance for his race. In my old age, I probably would’ve broken a hip or pulled a hammy. But apparently it worked for Little Man, as you can see him on the right with a clear lead.
There are a lot of jump ropes – skip ropes, as they call them here and I think that’s a British English name for it because I’ve always called it a jump rope. What do you call it? – and they use them in their morning exercises. During the sports meeting, they jumped rope as part of a relay race. Girls lined up on one end of the track, boys on the other. Then they raced and skipped to each other. Some students found their rhythm quickly and blazed down the track. And others…seemed a little uncoordinated. But they finished nonetheless.
There was never a dull moment. Some of the races ended in near-ties, others in clear victories.
These kids gave 100% in their events. At the end of each race, a teacher, volunteer or parent would wait at the end of the lanes to catch each runner and walk them away, keeping their legs moving and usually offering a bottle of water. Always offering encouragement and support.
When I was not taking pictures of students, I was taking 
pictures with them or having my picture taken by them. I am the first American teacher at my school and I think that makes me appealing. Well, that and the fact that my classes involve games and no homework.
These last two pictures were not planned. One of my favorite third graders, Alice, (in the yellow in the middle to the left) was looking at pictures on my phone. She aims the camera at me and says, “Jamie! Jump!” So I did! Then she and her friends jumped too.