the warm up plan
When the gym clock flashes 06:25, Teresa breaks her class in teams for Save The Ball™ .
Each group is given a ‘territory’ and a ball with swirling patterns of yellow and blue.
Their missions are as follows : “ One, keep your ball’s team within your territory; two, keep your ball’s team from hitting the floor; three, keep moving . Everyone starts with fifty points. Whichever team keeps most of their points by the end, wins. No feet, hands only, and you aren’t allowed to keep the ball in said hands for more than five seconds. A ball out of bounds, costs you five points. A ball hitting the floor is worth five. A ball in your hands for more than five seconds is worth five as well. Should I catch you still and not moving, that’s a ten point penalty. ”
The collective gasp and flummoxed expressions she receives are quite frankly adorable.
The Sunshine Smashers are all aflutter, horror and apprehension, complains of the impossibility of the task and the various penalties echo around the gym as if they can already see their respective points dwindling before their very eyes.
Teresa calms and soothes her charges as best as she can. She assures them, with all the sentiment of someone who learnt this the hard way, that it’s quite alright to lose, that’s how people learn and do better next time.
That is after all the purpose of this class, to learn, to train. She is met with distinct reactions, ranging from sheer, unadulterated relief, to muddled, confusion and even acute skepticism.
When she probes a bit, Teresa realizes little has changed from her time in primary schooll.
For ten year olds to already associate mistakes with shame, fasten failure with contempt and humiliation breaks Teresa heart all over again. She takes a breath and contemplates letting her inner desires take the wheel, just this once .
Teresa doesn’t take a bat to all these ‘competent’ educators. Nor does she send another strongly worded letter to their incapable, callous department of education. No, instead she focuses all her energy on producing what schools have continually failed to provide for their students: a safe, comfortable, learning space.
While she can’t do away with these harmful teachings altogether, she hopes to at least mitigate the ramification among her kids.
No matter the wordiness their respective teachers spew or the ‘educational approach’ their schools have taken. Making mistakes is part of the learning process, there’s nothing, nothing wrong with that.
Theirs is a team of six. Their ‘territory’, is third counting from their coach’s starting point and neither wide nor narrow.
Hermione doesn’t have to be a probabilist to understand the chances of collision are as high as the sky. Her body aches just thinking about it.
Each take a spot within the allotted rectangle, they have yet to receive the ball and the air is strained for all but thirteen seconds before-
“Alright then,” says the girl on her right, “let’s win this thing.”
Sophia, as they learn when she re-introduces herself, has an oval face and wears her dark hair in twin buns. Her tracksuit is a lovely burgundy. She effectively breaks the dam of uncomfortable silences and off they go, as each girl introduces herself.
Hafsa, on Sophia’s right, awards them a dimpled smile and a wave in her mint green shirt and black leggings. Her straight hair is assorted in a braid reaching the small of her back.
Zoe is next, tired (something that resonates with all of them for sure) but jovial. Clad in a white and black combo, the blond short-haired girl is prepared to “be done with this already”.She could eat a horse and use a nap right about now.
Kamala wears glasses and has her hair cut short as well. She remarks they could all use either of these right about now. She’s familiar enough with Zoe for Hermione to believe they know each other outside of Coach Ruth’s class. Her shirt is white with a pink Ha! on the torso.
And when Josie starts, Hermione’s anxiety kicks up by making a bigger ruckus in her stomach because after Josie’s turn, it’s hers. Sweaty and messy they might all be, but first impressions are everything. She knows what’ll happen if she blunders this up and makes a fool of herself.
When Josie’s all done and five pairs of eyes fall on her person, Hermione’s mouth goes dry and she hopes her voice doesn’t come out weird. “Hello, I’m Hermione.”