I have this student, part 3

I do not remember the last time Sabine spoke in class. She’s one of the youngest and smallest in my 5eme class and tends to stick with the people she knows. I accidentally make her cry once last year when a rearrangement of her 6eme class put her in the back where she couldn’t see the board and I couldn’t see her. 

But, on the soccer field, she comes alive.

Wherever the ball is, she isn’t far off.  When there’s a skirmish, she’s in the middle of it. She’s responsible for two of the four goals that have ever been scored during our scrimmages.

Turns out, to get her to talk, all you have to do is put a soccer ball at her feet. 

They’ve learned to not pick up the ball with their hands, amongst other things

Tonight I held the second practice for my girls’ soccer team. They passed the ball to warm up and then scrimmaged and then finished with penalty kicks.

They seemed to be getting it: there were five times as many goals scored during the match this time than last, they wanted to keep playing long past I was ready to go home and there is one girl who is starting to make her name as a goalie.

There were, however, just as many kicks out-of-bounds and rough play that dissolved into screaming matches as last time.

That this is a game and is meant to be fun seems to be the hardest thing for them to get.