Noodles and Pot Pies

On the basketball court I was a totally different person. That rectangle of wood or blacktop or even carpet was a different world, a world that shunned the manners and customs of polite society and rewarded the brash and confident. I talked a lot, we all did, but there was always that unspoken rule, “Don’t talk trash if you can’t back it up.” One summer night in the early 2k’s I got to see first hand why that unspoken rule is so important.

We always showed up as a team when we went to the local park, at least enough so we only had to pick up one or two, two at the most. We could carry two. My roommate Brian played post which was odd because I was at least two inches taller than his 5’11”. But he was tough. He never played ball in high school because wrestling season and basketball season overlapped and he was first string at 189lbs.

It was mid-summer in Grand Rapids and we showed up at around 7 at the park near the house we were staying in at the time. The community was very mixed, very diverse. The housing was lower income and the ethnicity seemed to change by street. Our street was white at one end and Mexican at the other. The street over from ours was largely black and so the pattern continued with a mix of whites, Hispanics and blacks on the streets stretching north and south away from ours for several blocks. Anyway, we got to the park a little bit late and two teams were already running but the wait was not that long. We were standing behind a chain link fence under one of the baskets when this kid gets a fast break straight toward us and the unguarded basket.

Brian yells, “Dunk it!” right as the kid enters the lane and does a handy little lay-up over the front of the rim. Brian continued to jab the kid for his lay-up, “I thought you were gonna dunk it.”

“ I’ll dunk on you,” the kid shot back.

Now the kid had some decent size probably 6’2” or 6’3” and not skinny, but Brian had backed down and bodied much bigger players than the “lay-up kid” since I had started playing with him and he immediately took offense to the kid’s tone.

“We got next,” he yelled pacing down the fence line toward the kid who was now retreating down court to play defense as the opposing team brought up the ball, “and I got him!” his arm was completely outstretched, finger jabbing at the kid, his body taught as if his index finger was iron ore and the “lay-up kid” a colossal, freckled magnet.

Much to Brian’s delight the “lay-up kid’s” team won the game and our team piled out onto the court. I shot for ball and missed. (Hey it was double rims, you know how they are.) We jogged down the court and turned waiting for the other team. The “lay-up kid” looked focused as he brought the ball over mid court and straight at Brian who was waiting for him at the basket. The kid jumped from the right block and reached for the rim, the ball cradled in his outstretched arm. He didn’t quite make it. Brian came flying from his right side and threw him down. Now, I say “threw him down” as opposed to “threw it down” because Brian didn’t just block the ball. No, he put his hand on the ball and threw both it and the “lay-up kid” to the hot asphalt.

“I thought you said you were going to dunk on me punk!” Brian had picked up the ball by then and stood screaming over the “lay-up kid” who was curled in the fetal position under the bucket.

I couldn’t help but grin, but my smile turned to confused brow-wrinkles as the “lay-up kid” lay there and whimpered, “Why’d you do that? Why do you gotta be so mean? Leave me alone. Ow, that hurt.”

We really didn’t know what to say. Everyone on the court just kind of looked at him. Normally, if you get thrown down you get up and get back in the game if you can. Maybe you scream a little at the guy who blocked you to the ground, get in his face, threaten him a little because let’s face it no one wants that to happen to them. All physical danger aside it’s one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to you on the court. We didn’t know whether to laugh or get a broom so we could push him to the side and keep playing. After a few more agonizing seconds he got up, and to his credit, finished out the game, though he was never a factor and we handily beat his team. After that game we never saw the “lay-up kid” again. I guess someone should have spoken to him about that all-important unspoken rule.

Here's How It Went Down

So, I'm back teaching again, but not at the school I had mentioned earlier. The school at which I am currently teaching is a christian school, however the pay and benefits are better than what the public school currently offers, at least in my case.

I thought my chances of teaching at the school were nil since I had sent my resume' in twice and both times it was rejected due to lack of positions available. I thought God was saying "no" but it turns out he just wanted me to wait. Right about the time when I stopped blogging anything longer than a sentence I got a call from the Upper School principal to come in for a middle school math interview. After meeting with the principal and the headmaster I was offered the job which I snapped up.

Pros:
1-I had already committed to helping my friend John coach the varsity girls basketball team at said school, so working there helps us plan.
2-Competetive pay-No christian school I had interviewed at before could touch what the current school offered.
3-Small class sizes-yes, all my classes except one are the in the teens for numbers ( i have one with 8 kids in it) so no more 30 kid classes.
4-Sweet Nike hook ups through the Assistant Athletic Director (who used to work at Nike and tried out with the Houston Rockets before injuring himself and losing his shot at being drafted)
5-The peeps there seem cool and genuine which is a big plus to me.
6-My friend John is there so we can "cut-up" alot.
7-They gave me a new laptop.

Cons:
1-The school day starts early and runs late. (7:15-4pm) The students leave @3 which gives the teachers an hour after school. I guess I'll take advantage and never bring work home.
2-I am teaching Math, albeit middle school Math so no big deal. (I'm just more of an English, History, Science...well anything but math...guy.) I've looked through the curriculum, so far, so good.
3-I've heard the parents can be a pain which will be new for me because in my last 4 years of teaching the parents were largely non-existent.
4-I am currently teaching 5 periods of Math, 1 period of PE, assisting with the girl's varsity basketball team, and doing chapel anouncements/speaker introductions. (Alot of work for my first year at the school and learning their system. Can you say burn-out?)

In other news, it is hot. I hate August because all you do is sweat unless you are indoors. Oh, and it rains every day and sauna's things up nicely.

I saw an alligator the other day near my mom's Florida residence. Having not grown up around them I think they are cool. Locals probably think I'm weird the way I thought city missionaries were weird when they asked my dad and me to take them down some trails near our house in Roscommon so they could see some deer. We didn't see any but they enjoyed the wilderness of the Roscommon village limits.

I have gummi bears and I'm starting to think they are my favorite candy...seriously.

http://megaman2box.ytmnd.com/

-Peace

teaching

I'm teaching school again.