Basketball overseas Hebbel, a famous German playwright,
once said that nothing great in the
world has ever been accomplished
without passion. Passion thus appears
to trigger our hidden dreams, sometimes
harbored for years, which later not only
may fulfill ourselves but also touch the
lives of our friends, colleagues and even
accidental passers-by. It goes without
saying that it is our ‘students’ who bring
a unique atmosphere to every class.
Traditional educational systems of the past
seemed only to perceive the students as ‘empty
vessels’ that teachers were supposed to fill
with knowledge. However, the teachers of Felberg
know that their students are actually living
gems, treasures and sometimes “dark horses”
who have unique interests, hobbies, achievements
or life stories. Why not talk openly about
them?
Basketball–Kasia’s
hobbyhorse
Poznań, the Felberg school, six o’clock in the
evening. A young blond woman in her twenties
is sitting at a desk among other participants of
the upper-intermediate group. It’s early October
and hardly anyone in the group knows about
her lifelong passion yet. This, however, is going
to change in a minute when the teacher with
a guitar in his hands starts the discussion about
the interests which take up so much of our life
to make it colorful and exciting. Kasia started
playing basketball in the 5th grade. “We practiced
twice a week in the beginning and it was
a piece of cake in comparison with the next
years to come,” she reminisces. After a few
months of fun Kasia’s team welcomed a professional
coaching staff: Mr. and Mrs. Jabłoński.
The best players were selected and asked to play
for Olimpia Poznań. And all the hard work began.
They practiced every day from Monday to
Friday after school and had games every weekend
with local teams. Soon they became second
best team in Poznań. “In spite of the hard work,
basketball became my passion and all I wanted
to do was to improve my skills, do everything
better and faster than my teammates,” explains
Kasia, with sparkling eyes. Time seems
to stand still; everyone pricks up their ears to
listen on. “You must know that basketball is
a fast-paced and exciting sport that requires
teamwork, speed and endurance,” she says. “If
you are not good enough there are other players
that are waiting to take your place on the team.
That’s why I felt very motivated to work as hard
as possible to stay in good shape. Practicing was
all I did in my spare time.” Kasia’s accent does
sound American. The teacher puts the guitar
down on the desk and asks her to continue.
What does teamwork mean
in language and sport?
The group is small, six students altogether. The
atmosphere is welcoming and optimistic, full of
youthful joy and determination to learn English.
Kasia thinks for a minute then adds: “Playing
a team sport like basketball requires communication
between players, that’s why a good
atmosphere on the team is so important. There
is no place for arguments. Everything you do,
you do for your team.”
Her words sound mature,
everyone has
the impression that
this thoughful, cheerful
young woman has
had a lot of experience
when it comes
to her passion. Kasia
continues: “This sport
taught me also how to
overcome my weaknesses
and play hard
not letting my opponent
know that I may
be afraid of him.” All
eyes are on Kasia as
she continues her story.
The role of the
teacher is now to listen, to let the student use
English communicatively, and at the same time
to allow the rest of the group to practice their
listening comprehension and turn-taking skills
as they ask their fellow student more and more
questions.
Overseas adventure–travel
and learn
Basketball seems to be not only about continual
practicing. All the best teams are invited to
tournaments where during a few days of games
their skills are tested. “Our club team was invited
for many home and international tournaments
which we either won or came second
or third,” Kasia mentions. Her stay in the
USA appears to capture everyone’s attention
as she reminisces about her memorable experiences
at a basketball tournament that took place
in the United States in 1999. “Our club team
got an invitation for the Seacoast International
Basketball Festival in Exeter, New Hampshire
which takes place every two years in mid-July.
Before that we had about two weeks of spare
time spent playing some games against college
teams, sightseeing at Disney World, Cape Canaveral
Space Center and having fun on the
white beaches of Panama City.” Travel seems
always a crucial part in learning anything from
putting up a tent through orienteering skills to
language. What’s most valuable, the sense of
experience and adventure. The Seacoast International
Basketball Festival is quite a big event
and is very well known in the local community
so one can count on big audiences and a great
atmosphere. Kasia remembers precisely: “This
tournament was not only a good opportunity
to test our skills but also showed our coaching
staff other methods of work.” Her whole team
was able to take part in practice matches with
teams from France, the USA and Canada. “That
experience showed us that basketball is an international
sport that breaks down all boundaries.
We made many friends and picked up a few rivals,”
she adds with a grin.
A great school of life
Kasia Albrecht has been playing for 14 years
and enthuses that it has been a great time. “It
taught me how to be well organized, adjust to
difficult situations and to not give up easily,”
she smiles. Her adventure was a wonderful way
to make many friends and travel a lot. “A great
school of life,” she admits. The lesson is not
wasted. Apart from sweating over grammatical
rules there is also an inexhaustible source made
up of our students who come to the class with
heads and hearts already filled with knowledge,
enthusiasm, and interesting experiences. The
teachers’ role is merely to let them speak. Piotr Maćkała
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