Sports as Extracurricular Activities

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Christina Golding 09.30.10 Gateway to Teaching Journal Entry # 2 & #3 I found Chapter 7 of our assigned text to be very interesting, specifically the section that concerned the organization of school levels and the factors that led to such a system. It made me recall my own experience as a student and my subconscious awareness of the structure of Middle school and the comprehensive high school. I never actively considered why the changes were being made in structure on a conscious level, but might have understood intuitively. I recall questioning the need for a “home room” and hating team sports with a passion. My 13 year old self would have approved the 21rst century shift from interscholastic to intramural sport activities, and my current self concurs that this is a good system. It seems to me that adolescents do not need help being forced to participate in awkward situations. Just recently, this topic came up in discussion. My boss accused me of being a bad influence upon his child. I knew his eldest daughter, Sophia, aged 13, idolized me (a fact which I find validating as it provides proof of my youth and relative “hipness”), but could not think of what I could of possibly have done to lead her astray. Did I swear or wear black nail polish? Did I endorse an unsavory musical artist? No, as it turned out, I made the mistake of admitting my dislike for team sports, which Sophia used as her scapegoat. When asked to consider joining a school team, she cited me as an example of a “cool chick” who developed flawlessly without participating in Pep Rallies, lap-running and the like. My employer, as it turns out, is a staunch believer in the importance of team sports to emotional and social development of the child, and now, from a safe distance from the girls’ locker room, I can see his point, but still hesitate to embrace his view. Yes, team sports can teach

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