Thanksgiving Post 2 - Mr. Freeman

This November, I am writing about teachers I am thankful to have had in my life and the impact they continue to have on my teaching.  This week, let me tell you about my 8th grade Earth Science and PE teacher, Mr. Jim Freeman.

The first day of 8th-grade is mostly listening to the policies of classes.  There might be the occasional getting-to-know-you game, but in a school where you have had the same classmates all day for years, there isn't much of that.  About halfway through the day, we had gotten to our science classroom, when a very tall, dark-haired teacher walked in, closed the door, and said, "Why should Christians study science?".  He then proceeded to talk for 30 minutes about the history of scientists who honored God with their work, the value of studying creation, and the impact Christians who study science can have on society. 

I sat, enraptured by this lecture.  Let me say that again.  I, a middle school student, hung on every word of a lecture, my eyes tracking every move of this man as he walked around the room, for thirty minutes.  I left the room that day, thinking that we were going to something important that year and that I was all in.  Throughout that year, I remained enthralled any time he broke into a lecture, which he enjoyed doing on a fairly regular basis.

There is an assumption, among people who don't know better, that a teacher or youth minister must be entertaining to engage students and hold their attention.  If that is true, educators and ministers are in real trouble.  We are simply not capable of being as entertaining as the media that floods their lives.  We can never be as engaging as their phones.  What I learned from Mr. Freeman that I carry into my classroom is that engagement comes first from instilling a belief that what we do in this room matters. 

I wish I could find my notes for that Earth Science class because they were a virtual transcript of the lectures that followed.  I couldn't get enough of this teacher and this class.  Was it because he was fun?  No (although he was a fun person).  Was it because he was entertaining?  No (even though he had that in him, often breaking into song).  Was it because he had some technique that made his lessons engaging to middle school students? No (although I am sure he learned things like that in his teacher training).  It was because he communicated the value of his class from minute one and passionately stuck to it all year.  For that, and all the books he inspired me to read, I am thankful.


Extra:  As a side note, Mr. Freeman was also my PE teacher.  It's hard to communicate how much I loathed PE.  I was tall, awkward, and afraid of the ball.  There were two positive moments that year.  The first came when we were playing softball.  I stepped up to the plate, and he said, "Just keep your eye on the ball," an instruction that is pretty terrifying if you are afraid the ball will hit you in the head.  I did it, though, and for the only time in my life, I actually hit the ball.  We'll ignore the fact that I was so surprised that I had hit it that I forgot to run to the base.  The second was the only time I was good at something in PE.  This was an all girls' class, and he decided that we needed to learn some self-defense.  We learned a few punches and kicks and how to use our keys to stab an attacker in the eyes.  One day, he lined us up, held his hand out at the level of his head, and told us to kick his hand.  I was the only one who could reach his hand.  I had been dead last at everything in PE for my entire life because of my height and awkwardness.  Now, for the first time, my height was an actual advantage.