“Thrown in the Deep End”
Dear Teacher,
Eric Moussambani arrived at the 2000 Olympic Games a "token" swimmer. Having been given a "pity invitation" intended only for third-world countries like his Equatorial Guinea, Eric faced the 100-meter freestyle swim with fear and trepidation. You see, until arriving at the Sydney Aquatic Center, Eric had never before seen an Olympic-sized pool! Instead, he had trained mostly in a 13-meter hotel pool or in lakes and rivers with fisherman alongside to prevent him from sinking.
Now he stood, perched on his block, surrounded by 17,500 spectators, awaiting the starter's signal. With false starts from the Niger and Tajikistan swimmers, Moussambani was told he would swim alone, triggering confusion and utter fright. "I was so nervous," Moussambani said. "When they called my country, I saw so many people (in the stands) and now I had to swim in front of them. I was so scared the people were going to laugh at me. But something came in my mind that I could do it."
Soon, "Eric the Eel," as he'd been dubbed, was in the water. It wasn't pretty. Moussambani thrashed through the water, arms and legs lacking rhythm, head out of the water, without any sign of coordinated breathing. However, Eric pushed on, even managing to successfully complete a flip turn at the midway point. With the crowd cheering in his ears, Eric pushed on, slowing with exhaustion and struggling to stay afloat. At one point, he completely vanished underwater, hushing the crowd until he reemerged and took a breath. At times, the lifeguards stood poised to plunge in for the rescue. Nevertheless, Moussambani fought through his burning lungs and aching muscles, touching the wall to stop the clock in 1:52:72. Eric's completion as winner of Heat One, placed his time as 71st of many finishers. Yet, this African athlete was a finisher in his own right. It wasn't pretty, but he got out there, swam his hardest, and finished! Eric had won the Wildcard for his country (watch the race here).
And you, teacher, there in your classroom, may already feel that you're swimming upstream.
Maybe you're a first-year educator and afraid your students will literally laugh at your efforts.
Maybe you were given a "pity invitation" job offer after several candidates before you turned it down.
Maybe you're a veteran classroom Olympiad who is staring at an Olympic-sized personal issue.
Whatever the case is, you likely are experiencing "confusion and utter fright" at the start of this school year.
Yet, just like Eric the Eel, you've trained for this as best you could. You're perched at the edge of a new school year and ready to dive in. Your swim may not be pretty. You may thrash and struggle to stay afloat. However, just as the crowds surged during his weakest times, I'll be cheering from my School Counselor seat, ready to jump into the deep end with you. Better yet, you've got a Lifeguard watching at all times, offering Instruction to the school instructor, Leadership to the school leader, and Coaching to the school coach. Now go out there and be a Wildcard!
Swimming (and sometimes sinking) with you,
Mindy
Christian Educator & School Counselor