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| Targets |
Franklin physical education teacher, Sharon Foster, invited me to join the fifth graders for some target practice. When I arrived the setup in the gym was awesome! Targets of different heights, distances and complexity were spread throughout half of the gym.
Sharon went through the steps with the students for throwing with correct form. The fifth graders responded to her questions, clearly having mastered the concept. Then they stood and mimicked the movements several times as she praised and gave students pointers.
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| Plenty for everyone |
Finally, several students were chosen to upend the ball containers and everyone was given the go ahead to start throwing at the targets. The students fired at will with great enthusiasm and good form! Sharon shared her philosophy of creating activities for the students where there are opportunities for everyone to participate. "When I was in school, I hated PE. There was a single ball for the entire class and it was monopolized by the athletic students", she said. "One of my PE teachers used to divide us by boys and girls telling us that the girls were not as good at sports as the boys."
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| Practicing throwing |
As if on cue, I overheard a young girl say to another "you throw like a girl." Sharon spoke with students and asked what they thought that meant stating that "there are only two kinds of throwing: throwing with correct form and learning to throw with correct form." Many hands went up and the discussion was incredibly sophisticated for ten year olds! A girl raised her hand and said, "I am the one that said that and I meant it is as a compliment. You throw like Mo'ne Davis."
Times certainly have changed, We should all be so lucky as to throw a 70 MPH fastball "like a girl"!
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| Fire away! |
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| Determination |
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| Possibly the next Mo'ne? |
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| Focused fun |
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| The aftermath |
