“There is a third-grader at my school that loves to play four square. In fact, she plays it almost every recess. This, however, was not always the case. You see, three weeks ago this same little girl was standing five feet behind the four square line with a rather intense look on her face. Obviously, there was something that kept her from making her own quest towards the elusive 'A' square, so I approached this young lady. I asked if she wanted to join, but after one step towards the game she stopped, put her palms to her face, and began to cry, 'it's too hard.' I pleaded with her just to try but my words were met with denial.
The next day as soon as she got on the yard she ran over to find me. We talked about the rules, practiced a little two square and then made our journey to the four square line. I explained to the other students (the veterans of our playground) that this was her first time playing and that I would be her partner for the game. Then the other students did something remarkable: they started to go over all the rules of four square, how we roshambo to end a dispute, and they even showed her how to hit the ball. When it was finally time for us to start our game, they all made sure the first time was practice so that she could have a chance to hit the ball a couple times without fear of getting 'out.'
She was still studious of the game, but now without the glare in her eyes. She was still hesitant with her hits, but she was not afraid to try. She still had rules that she needed to be reminded of, but that was now a hurdle instead of a wall. Now, three weeks later, she runs over to the four square line.”
-Coach Matt, Paul Revere Elementary
