Winter Olympics 2010

I have made it my duty to make sure the children in my life know about the olympics.  After the summer olympics were over and school had started, I was talking to my students about them one day.  None of my students knew what they were.  A week ago Friday when I was dismissing my students I said, "The opening ceremony of the olympics is tonight.  It will be wonderful."  My students looked at me with blank stares and said, "What's that?"  So I have made it my duty that Ciara and all the children in my life will know about the olympics.

I love the olympics.  I will admit that I didn't always love them.  When I was a kid, I could have cared less.  Dorthy Hamill to me just meant that I was getting a new haircut so my mom could practice.  But now that I am older, I respect the hard work and determination that these athletes must have to be at the top of their game.  The culmination of all the years of sacrifice and practice brings me to tears.

I am so glad I have a dvr to watch this with.  I am always watching something exciting, like the speed skater that won by 0.009 of a second.  (How do you even fathom time like that?)  I will call Ciara to come in and tell her what is happening and make her watch.  She is getting used to it.  I have it on 24/7.  So today iss he learning about the biathalon and thinking that would be a fun sport if she only knew how to ski and shoot.  I told her she should learn and go for it.  She also wants to learn to ice skate.  If only we had a place she could go, I think she would love it.  The funny thing is that she comes in and watches and says, "Where are the uniteds?"  Then she will point to the athletes and ask, "Is this the United guy?"  I keep telling her they are United States guys, not from an airline!!  But she is learning.  She rooted for Tim Burke and hoped he would win.  I didn't even know who he was until Friday.

I have my whole class talking about the olympics now.   The students who don't watch them are missing out when others come into class in the morning and want to talk to me about the highlights.  I won't ever forget the way one student described a sport he had never seen before when he acted out the luge.  It was hilarious.  They know that an athlete died this year.  They know about gold, silver, and bronze, and we keep a tally of how many the United guys are winning!  They know that one guy is 41 years old because I have made them subtract the years to figure out their ages.  They know about Lindsay Vonn and Shawn White.  They have learned about the skeleton and luge and biathalon as well as speed skating and figure skating.  They liked Evan's snake costume, but thought Johnny's was pretty wierd looking.  If nothing else, they are learning about their world.  And hopefully, prayerfully, all the children in my life will learn about dreams, goals, determination, and perseverance.

Oh yeah, I want, need those red mittens!