Full Circle

I have to admit I was nervous.  It's not often these days that I head into totally unknown waters...but I did on Thursday.  I'm not a competitive swimmer, have only sat on the sidelines occasionally when required to be the Admin at a meet, and I don't really understand the logistics of how a swim meet gets scored.  So, when our Activities Coordinator suggested that I could have the wrestling meet or the swim meet, my first instinct was to take wrestling where I could sit on the sidelines and cheer.  But I could see how much he wanted to be there - so I offered to head to swimming.  He typed up a quick run down of how the meet works, and sent me on my way with extra timers and newly sharpened pencils. My tasks were to get parents to time, collect and organize scores, and maintain the team score sheets while our coaches kept the kids swimming and cheering for the team.

When I knocked on the door of the pool, not even really knowing how to get in, a vaguely familiar face appeared to let me in.  "Ms. E. Smith?  What're you doing here?" said the beard-covered face.

"Kevin?"  I gasped,  "What're you doing here?"

"I teach PE here at the high school and coach middle school swimming!"  And I remembered that he had swum competitively when he had been a seventh grader in my English class.  Long-legged and long-armed, he had been all loose body parts in seventh grade with a shock of blond hair on top, chlorine bleached, and skin that was permanently tanned.  He had a quick smile back then, and I could see that same smile in the man face that looked down on me.

We spent a few minutes catching up, then I admitted I had no idea what I was doing; that my experience helping run a swim meet was non-existent.  "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll let you know what to do."

And that quick, the tables turned, my teaching life had come full circle.  I was going to be fine at this swim meet - I would have a great teacher.