bronx boys and the absence of athleticism: an anecdote
Posted 10-25-2008 at 06:49 PM by cfinch19
As a teacher in the Bronx I experience many phenomena that surprise me. One of the more subtle is the astounding number of youth who do not know how to play sports. Moreover, I have noticed a general absence of athleticism among the youth. Perhaps the video/media/computer era is to blame, or some other contributing (socioeconomic) factor, but it is terribly unfortunate.
Growing up I can not recall a single male child who wasnt able to throw a baseball, or play kickball. The school in which I currently work, the can-to-cannot ratio is stunning. Just today I approached a student whom last week I noticed was pacing uneasily around the gym. The student is a mature looking twelve year old, standing about 5ft 8in, and seemingly in good shape. I asked if he wanted to play catch, and although his words said no, his body language said yes. After some coaxing, we were off with baseball gloves in hand. A minute later, I took notice of the student fiddling with the glove, then he asked me "How does it go?" I was taken aback by the question, because I had never met a twelve year old male who had never used a baseball glove. The even more unfortunate reality is this is a student whom aspires to be a football player yet he cant even throw.
Growing up I can not recall a single male child who wasnt able to throw a baseball, or play kickball. The school in which I currently work, the can-to-cannot ratio is stunning. Just today I approached a student whom last week I noticed was pacing uneasily around the gym. The student is a mature looking twelve year old, standing about 5ft 8in, and seemingly in good shape. I asked if he wanted to play catch, and although his words said no, his body language said yes. After some coaxing, we were off with baseball gloves in hand. A minute later, I took notice of the student fiddling with the glove, then he asked me "How does it go?" I was taken aback by the question, because I had never met a twelve year old male who had never used a baseball glove. The even more unfortunate reality is this is a student whom aspires to be a football player yet he cant even throw.
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