Field Day

When I heard that Elisa's school was hosting a Field Day this month, I was so happy. It brought back some fantastic memories of my own field days back at Fleetridge Elementary School and how the end of the year was always full of fun like that. We would go out early in the morning as the dew was still melting off the field and run and play games til we couldn't stand. There were packed brown bag lunches and more games after that rest. It was one of my favorite days of the year because it felt so different from normal school. It was fun. It was like a little preview of summer just showing us that the end was near. I tried not to get my hopes up too much that Elisa's school would have the same kind of field day aura.  I mean, it's hard to live up to 30 year old memories...but still I was eager to be part of the day and take some photos. And I'm so glad Nacho was off work that morning so I could attend without Carolina. No doubt, she would have been happy to chase the big kids but it wasn't her day. No, this was for the school kids who needed a little shaking up of the routine. And they definitely got that and more.

I have to admit that arriving a little after the 9 a.m. start time, I was surprised to see the chaos of lining the kids up and moving them around still carrying on. By 9:40 a.m. eyes were beginning to roll (theirs and mine) and audible whispers of "come ON!" were evident. But the kids held on and just a few minutes later, the games began.  Since the kids from all grades were mixed into different teams together, they each moved to 4 or 5 stations with races like hurdles, sack races, over and under, basketball hopping, and carrying a ball in a ladle. They were running and jumping, shouting and encouraging one another. And most impressively, there were no kids pouting or feeling defeated or left out. Everyone seemed engaged and attentive to the tasks at hand. I have to say, I was also very pleased to hear the teachers and administrators using so many of the kids' names to call out and cheer them on. Only at a school this size with the kinds of people who are truly invested in these futures could you have this kind of atmosphere. It really was something special and I'm so glad I was able to witness it firsthand. It might not resemble the leisurely day in the sun and tall grass that we had as kids, but this field day was something even better. It was a chance for these city kids to let loose and forget their classrooms for one day in a culture that often values testing and scores more than teamwork and building confidence. Elisa was only mopey when it was time for me to leave. She played the usual game where she wants to come home with me or feigns illness to get out of school. But no, that wasn't going to happen. I gave her a big squeeze and told her how proud I was of her and that we would look at some photos when she got home. And then she ran back towards her friends and continued to play. And that's just how it should be.