Last week I spent some time in the classroom with the IFS/ITS primary college students.
The experience brought on a flashback to when I was at primary college:
Mrs Johnston, mother of Australian and Liverpool soccer legend, Craig Johnston, was my teacher. Her classroom smelt like vegemite sandwiches and old cheese – I think because my mate Martin kept forgetting to take his half eaten lunch out of his bag each afternoon. The rotting smell cemented itself into my brain forever and that smell came back to me while I was with Stage 2 reminiscing of my younger days….or maybe young IFS Lance had forgotten to remove his daily snack from his bag for some time. Either way, the smell was strong in my brain.
Mrs Johnston was an excellent teacher. We watched old movie reels and slides of Craig during his days at Middlesborough. We did math tables, spelling charts and read stories of mystical dragons. The afternoon nap time was a definite favourite for us all, but in hindsight, I think this time was more for Mrs Johnston than her Booragul Primary School class.
Craig Johnston was actually in my sister’s year at Booragul High and one of her good friends. He spent many afternoons at our house before heading to the college oval for practice and while, at the time, none of us knew Craig would become the football legend he is today, there was no questioning his dedication and desire to be the best he could be.
I remember watching him practise at that college oval. He would be there for hours until Mrs Johnston would appear to take him home. He would practise shooting, corners, dribbling, juggling and just kicking and chasing. I would ride to my mate’s place and see Craig out there kicking away, ride home a couple of hours later, and he’d still be there.
“Can you help me with 16 – ? = 9 – 8″….my mind returned to IFS/ITS, that familiar smell still with me. I looked around the room at all the students. They were all focusing on their work. iPads racing with StudyLadder activities. Todd demonstrating to a group how to solve a math problem. Eyes were all wide and I could almost hear their brains humming. No nap time needed here. Todd was having as much fun teaching as the kids were learning. We played a Chance fraction game. Everyone cheered and sighed as the coin toss returned its result. We almost missed lunch time. Amazing passion to learn and dedication to be the best they could be.
My experience with IFS/ITS Stage 3 was much the same. All busy at their projects, drawing, reading, googling their research.
Our students at IFS/ITS train for two hours every morning. They head into the classroom and fill their brains with knowledge and exciting projects. They go home and kick or hit the ball around. They play tennis tournaments and football games on the weekend. They are dedicated to their passion. They have the opportunity of a lifetime.
We may well be in the company of many future sporting legends. I can’t wait to see who they will be.
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