I pulled into the town park, and immediately had flash backs of the town creeper. The man who lived above the cigar shop, and supposedly had photo albums full of images of children. Not his own. He wandered creepily around our village, and frequented the town pool. As a young coach, I distinctly remember looking out for the creeper, or anyone else who may stop by to attempt photographing young swimmers. As I entered this park, I sincerely did NOT want to be creeper-like.
I pulled in and thought, “Wow. NOBODY IS HERE!?” No cars were present, but when I opened my door, I could hear the shouts and music from a megaphone across the field. There were lots of children and camp counselors.
I was instinctively interested in checking out their swimming pool first. I wandered through a woodsy area and found a beautiful pool. There was a kiddy swimming area, some lanes, and a deeper diving well. Weirdly, at 11:00 AM on a summer morning, nobody was in or near the pool. I thought back to my upbringing. Our town pool was used from 8 AM each weekday morning, until 8 PM each night. For the most part, the pool was packed during those hours.
I asked an adult cleaning the grills behind a shed about the pool. There are swim lessons available for children, but they are filled for the season. The pool hours are posted, and there is a five-dollar entry fee. At that point I realized, I probably don’t look like a creeper, but an incredibly clueless parent. Much better.
I wandered toward the beautiful lake. On my way there were two signs: “Kids and teens eat free here!” and “Los ninos y jovenes comen gratis aqui”… It made sense.
The lake was gorgeous. There were picnic tables all around, a pavilion for activities, and a building with better shelter in case it stormed. There was a hiking trail around the lake, and I was tempted to hike instead of write. But I wrote. While sitting, I sat and listened to children and counselors shouting. “Red team go!!!” “Blue team!! Your turn!!! Go blue team!!! BLUE TEAM!!!!” It appeared that the children who needed to use the bathroom, were randomly running across the field with their counselors. Some ran, others piggy backed. All the children I could see and hear were smiling, running, and shouting joyfully.
I thought about my conversations and interviews. The advice I was given by all I spoke with, and tiny insights I had into this new community I was observing.
Many students live in poverty. Many students have experienced trauma and have behavioral issues due to their trauma. A large percentage of students are performing below grade level. There is an increase in ELLs entering the district. Teachers were asked to implement “mindfulness” into their classrooms this year. Some teachers effectively did so, and were certain that their students benefited. Others were not convinced it would work, and didn’t buy in. Regardless of each teachers decision, there are lawsuits around the country that go against “mindful practices” due to the association some make with mindfulness and religion. But what really sticks with me is the poverty and trauma piece of all this. How can I help students overcome trauma? I am not a therapist. I am a teacher. How can I find teaching strategies that create space for the emotional needs of children, while also being academically relevant?
I sat at my bench and wrote my thoughts. I let my mind wander and I observed and wrote. I thought about poverty and the lack of access to swim lessons. I thought about my students at San Miguel who learned to swim in middle school and were so incredibly proud of themselves. I thought about the news article from a few weeks ago… “Clemson football all-star drowns at back yard picnic.” He was athletic. I could have taught him… I bet a lot of people could have taught him. I thought about all the kiddos playing in the field, and I wondered how many have access to swim lessons. How many kids are at home, because they can’t afford camp? I thought about my swim lesson group from last year, and the video I took of them during their “float session”.
A pond is an amazing resource for learning. Unless you can’t swim. Then it is a dangerous death trap. A pool is a great place to swim. They are all so close to these children! My mind jumped back and forth… Peaceful lake – nature – water – dangerous – trauma – poverty – swim lessons – float – clouds – writing – cheering – joy – running – sunshine – bird noises – water – music – fun….
* I just read all I have written so far to my husband. He said, “I don’t know what you’re saying. Weird ending. Others will probably love it, but to me… I don’t get it. Sounds weird.” I explained my thoughts again. He helped me. The key to accessing all the goodness that a pond can bring to these childrens’ education and emotional well-being, is learning to swim. *
ECLInstitute - HVWP 2019-2020 