A Good Tennis Lesson

　
 　
Going to work each morning can become the bane of existence, and then there are the jobs that get you going earlier each day, with renewed energy. I think every job can have mundane and boring aspects to it, just finding the parts of it to enjoy, if you choose to look, can be excruciating too.
And then, there are the lucky ones, the job that brings joy and a paycheck all in the same week. I hope there are more of these out there than I know about, I wish for everyone to find joy in the work place, at least somewhere in the day, even if it's only lunch with a friend that brings a little joy, even if you still have to go back to the chore of getting through the hours left until it's time to put it away.


During my years of teaching tennis, I had the best of both worlds. I loved my job and found joy every day. I had a great boss and we were " like thinkers". Each day that we walked on court we got back so much more than we gave, and we gave a lot. When you've been at work all day and the temperature has reached 99, your energy levels are about at the bottom, and it would feel so good to become a couch potato, a child grabs you by the hand and hauls you back out on the court, just for fun. The lesson is over and you could go home, without looking behind you to see who's still there, you don't have to walk back on that court.
But those pleading eyes and smile...pulling you along, you give in and go play. Just play, no teaching involved. But now, you get to see the freedom in their play, no longer working at the exercises you had given them earlier, just freedom! Smiles, laughter and the never ending spirit of a child, running with joy. You stand back and watch them, using the skills you have tried so hard to instill in them. They have learned their lessons well and can't get enough, they are hooked on tennis. A child that has learned the lesson of laughing at themselves is a wonderful thing to see too.


Many times, this was the child that had been the "bench sitter" for the Little League coach, that was the coach that taught them they weren't good enough.
Too many kids have gotten left behind on the bench, by a coach that was simply win oriented, without regard or thought to what they were leaving that little kid with.
A sense of never being good enough to try, these were the kids that we loved to get our hands on. The ones that had only had bad experiences with sports, and their parents, bless their hearts, thought they could at least take tennis lessons. Somehow, the parents that didn't believe their child could excel, at least tried to put them in a lesson that would keep them active, not realizing that their child had the ability to win, all by themselves, one on one. With every lesson, their child began to get better, and that was a win for them. Leaving the court with a smile, knowing they had succeeded that day, was worth every penny spent, for those parents. Those are the kids that learned about themselves all on their own, they could be as good as those other guys, or better, if given the chance.


I happened to have the opportunity of teaching tennis to a deaf child. I was quite apprehensive about it, once the boss told me about the family. They were a military family, here in Virginia for awhile, but not for long. The mother was fierce about her child, and she knew every single mandate that her child qualified for, with his disability. Actually, this was the only thing that worried me anyway. Along with the child, would come a "Lip Sinker". I never knew there was such a thing, therefore I couldn't quite get my thinking around what they would do, or how. It didn't dawn on me that she would be talking to me, and the child.
The morning of the first class arrived, and I was on court getting all the equipment ready. I like to get there early and make sure everything is safe. Apparently, Matt's mom liked to be early too. They got out of the van and ventured onto the court. I of course go over to greet them and get all the paperwork taken care of. Along comes another woman soon, and comes hurrying onto the court. The mother introduces me to her and she proceeds to set herself up on the court, with a blanket. Well, I don't like anyone not in the class to be on the court, for safety sake, so I politely ask her to sit outside. She rudely informed me that she would be staying close by, in other words, almost on top of me. OK, now I'm starting to get nervous, and the other kids had shown up. By the time I have them all signed up and ready to start, I had forgotten my nerves and my usual self once on court, came through to support me.


I point to Matt as I tell the other kids to follow me. Matt comes along, rather nervous himself, and not happy. I now know, that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up with the other's, and his mother was too close. The first hour however, I thought he was a little rude. Now, the lip sinker stood beside me and mouthed everything I said to Matt. Her lips smacked together like a child chewing with his mouth full and it irritated me to no end. Did she have to stand so close to me? Now, not making fun, but she wasn't as agile as she needed to be, so I took advantage of this. She was in my way, and I couldn't teach in my normal manner, because her girth was always slowing me down, so I stepped it up until she was out of breath and dragging to keep up. Oh well, I had a job to do too!



The other kids were a happy and understanding group. They didn't look at Matt as having a disability, he was just like them, except he couldn't hear. Finally, I got Matt to enjoy himself, and he began to act exactly like the other kids, as they included him and always made sure he understood. He had a good time and so did the other kids. I pride myself on knowing which kid to look to for help, and I had one in this class, right up front. He took Matt under his wing, and made sure he had understood everything he needed to, without being told to keep an eye on him.
What no one realized was, Matt could read lips too. Of course it depended on how the words were spoken, so when I realized that Matt was already doing the instructions, before the lip sinker could speak, I was relieved. The "lip sinker" got very frustrated because we were working her all over the court. It's funny now to me, how I made her sweat, and she did not come dressed to sweat! Oh that was bad!


Well, when the second day of class arrived, Matt told his mother he didn't need the lip sinker at all, he could understand everything I said. Now, I have to admit, I talk with my hands a lot too, and I am a hands on teacher. Matt truly didn't need the woman distracting him, and he realized that it was slowing down the rest of the class. The mother finally agreed to let her go home, and we continued with a much better pace. At the first water break of the day, she handed him his water bottle and picked up her blanket and spread it outside of the court, letting me and Matt that she approved.


Matt was like a bird out of a cage. If he missed something I said, he only had to look at me for a repeat, and we didn't miss a beat. He would cock his head a little to let me know he needed me to repeat it for him. We clicked, with unsaid words, and he learned how to play tennis, and how to have fun with hearing kids. He didn't want special treatment at all after that day. By the end of the session, you would never know, looking from the sidelines, that he was deaf, he was as much a part of the class as any kid there, and that's all he wanted, to be included as an equal. Actually, once he forgot he was different, he was class clown, free spirited and fun.
The astonishing thing was, they signed up for another session. My boss couldn't believe that I had won over the mom, although he knew I could win over the kid. I told my boss that the mom was right to hold him close and be ready to intervene if needed, and that she had probably run into people that didn't get it. The boss had been told by the mom, that it was the best class her child had ever taken, and he couldn't wait to come back for more. I was pleased, and my ego was quite shiny.


I was sad when they told me they were being shipped elsewhere, and he would no longer be able to take the lesson's, because he taught me something too. I didn't need to be uneasy about teaching him, I just had to give him the same attitude I gave to all the kids. Respect receives respect.
I hope that all the kids in that class remember, they can be in a situation with a handicapped person, and help them to learn and have fun all at the same time. My prayer is that they have taken that class with them through their life. I hope they never forget Matt, I know I won't.