How a Columbus PE teacher shows students how to be strong in more ways than one
In baseball they are called rookies, and in high school they’re called freshmen. The Army calls them recruits, while a tradesman might call one an apprentice. In almost every walk of life, there is a term for someone new, and these newbies most often go through a sort of rite of passage – an initiation of sorts that tests a newcomer’s will, drive, and fortitude. Some make it. Some don’t.
Education is no different. There is an unwritten rule in the teaching profession that assigns the “doozies” to brand new teachers – icky content, lower performance levels, difficult students, etc. Teaching the upper level courses or the advanced classes are earned by paying your dues, so newbies tend to get the leftovers. I know I did. During my first year teaching, I was given the lowest leveled English classes with the worst kids in the school. It was a sink or swim, trial by fire initiation that either would send me packing or teach me valuable lessons about the real world of teaching.
That’s just how it goes. Not always, of course, but most of the time.
So new teachers have it tough, but majority of them cinch up their boot straps and come out alive and well, ready to teach another 29 years. And sometimes, rookie teachers go beyond all expectations, lace up their running shoes, and take off running.
That’s what the new PE teacher at Blackmon Road Middle School has done.
Robby Burns isn’t your typical first year teacher, though. He is a retired soldier who knows a thing or two about sorting out the challenges of new experiences and finding order in a chaotic environment. And from my high school teacher point of view, there isn’t much on this earth scarier and more chaotic than a gymnasium full of middle schoolers.
To Coach Burns, though, corralling middle school PE students is nothing compared to serving in our armed forces, and during the first four months of his new career as a teacher, he hasn’t seemed to miss a beat. In fact, Coach Burns is not only running through this inaugural year, but encouraging his students to run right alongside him.
He calls it Eagle Strong – an after-school fitness club for all Blackmon Road Middle students, especially the non-athletic ones who may not be blessed with athletic abilities and are not participating in Eagle’s sports teams. Over 50 students signed up, and over 30 show up each session, Monday through Thursday. Actually, the turnout has been so large that Coach has even had to assign kids to different days in order to have room and resources for everyone.
His goal is to teach lifelong, life-sustaining skills of good health practices. He teaches his Eagle Strong students how to properly lift weights and how to establish strength training techniques that will serve them for the rest of their lives. He teaches them about nutrition and overall well-being, instilling in the kids a desire to take care of themselves, both inside and out.
It’s impressive, and there is certainly a buzz around Blackmon Road Middle about Coach Burns and his Eagle Strong club. There’s even a stir outside the halls of the school. Maybe Coach is on to something and he wouldn’t mind a tired, old high school English teacher barging in on his training sessions. Perhaps I can get inspired by these middle schoolers to lay off the dessert and lift a few barbells.
We hear so much talk about our children losing their grip on serenity. Time and time again our children are falling victim to depression, mental breakdowns, and loneliness. We see them starving for attention or grabbing solace in unhealthy substances. For eight hours a day and 180 days a year, teachers desperately try to present alternative void-fillers to our empty kids. Every teacher looks into his or her own repertoire in order to do so, grasping for anything that will give a child hope. Because, well, we recognize and know all too well the needs of our students. We see and feel and hear their desperation. So, we try to fill the emptiness with everything at our disposals. For some, it’s knowledge and a friendly space. For others, it’s free weights and a proper lunge.
For us all, though, may it be unconditional love and support. Lord knows they need both.
Sheryl Green is a secondary educator in Columbus. Email her at sherylgreen14@yahoo.com.