The youth that attend our school in the mountains of Appalachia, come from high poverty homes. Research has shown that students that live with scarcity backgrounds have trouble staying focused and engaged during instruction, as they are more inclined to focus on basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and affection. All the youngsters in our community qualify for free breakfast and lunch. There is also a program in place to send home food backpacks on weekends at each school. My students need a non-traditional classroom setting to grab their attention and focus on their learning. Many of them have not been successful scholastically.
The Great American Pastime Baseball, will be the Grand Slam for my students as they round the bases and gain focus on their education.
My Project
Baseball will help the students at our school develop camaraderie. The youngsters who are on the team are all beginners, so they have no experience playing the sport but are excited to learn. Playing sports will help our preteens become a team on the field and in the classroom. One important skill the kids need to learn is "Good Sportsmanship." In games at recess, they often display behavior that is that of poor losers showing disrespect to other students and instructors. Learning this can be monumental for their future, as the ability to respect their peers and officials can assist them in every aspect of their daily life.
Like many schools around the country, our kids spend too much time on technology and this has led to troubling social issues.
Planning the team has brought out the positive side of our students. Hopefully, it will create a sense of belonging, a benefit of a team membership. These students need this team, they need to know that there are teachers that care and understand that we put this team together for them. Playing on a sports team can be the connection that places value on learning something new. This sport will teach kids the concept of teamwork and how to work together to achieve a goal. Everyone who wants to play will make the team.
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