<\/p>\n
Playworks soccer season had begun and once again I found myself surrounded by the hyper and enthusiastic spirits of the young girls from Brunson Lee. Each one of their beaming personalities never allowed\u00a0a dull moment, and I love them for that.<\/p>\n
This season, we added a new teammate to the melting pot of free-spirited students. Her name was Makayla. Makayla was different from the others – she was quiet and pragmatic. While the others were always jumping for joy because they were given the opportunity to be a part of a team and play with their friends, Makayla\u2019s demeanor was more serious.<\/p>\n
There was a specific afternoon in which I found it nearly impossible to hold the girls\u2019 attention during practice, so I dismissed them to play on the playground in hopes that it would dispel their restlessness. It was that same afternoon that I was confronted by Makayla. She didn\u2019t run off to play with her teammates on the playground, and when I asked her why, she told me that she wanted to spend some more time with me practicing soccer. I was elated \u2013 not only did this student want to learn, but she wanted to learn from me.<\/p>\n
As practice came to an end and everyone packed up to go home, I was once again approached by Makayla. “Coach Tayo\u201d she said in a soft tone, \u201cCan I practice some more, please?\u201d\u00a0My first instinct was to say no\u00a0because\u00a0I didn\u2019t want her to be late for pick up, but as I looked into the stands I saw her grandmother sitting there, signaling to me that it was fine for her to stay longer.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0more we practiced that evening, the more I began to see something in Makayla that I had not seen in my other students before—determination. With each mistake she made, she was determined to find a solution to correct it. As we were wrapping up, Makayla filled me in on a little secret, \u201cCoach Tayo,\u00a0I\u2019ve never played soccer before. I\u2019ve never played in a real<\/em> soccer game.\u201d The sudden lack of confidence despite her dedication to improve surprised me.\u00a0I knew that I needed to encourage her and be her cheerleader. I explained to Makayla that it was important that she keep trying no matter the outcome,\u00a0that she is showing improvements despite what she sees. Finally, she cracked a smile. In that moment, I knew she trusted me to make her better. I felt like I actually had the ability to make someone\u2019s dream a reality. I was truly a coach!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Playworks soccer season had begun and once again I found myself surrounded by the hyper and enthusiastic spirits of the young girls from Brunson Lee. Each one of their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":2050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-47","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n