Exercise in the Yard

My five boys from Hong Kong and I had the classroom of ten third-grades fully engaged in games of tic tac toe. Supposedly a bell rang, but I didn’t hear it, so I was a little surprised when all ten of our students simultaneously jumped up and ran out of the room. Hey, where are you all go . . . . Well, I guess that activity is over for now.

By the time I reached the balcony, all ten kids were already down the stairs, in the yard, and at their assigned spot among the other children of the school. The forty or so kids formed a perfect grid. One girl -a fourth grader- was standing on the cement platform with her back to her fellow students.

Loud Chinese music with cheerful female vocals started to play and because it was coming over a cheap speaker the music was a little tinny. On cue, all the students started doing their morning exercises. It was one part stretching, one part tai chi, and one part aerobics. They swung their arms, stepped forward, stepped back, bowed, and did leg lifts. And they did it all in perfect unison.

Well, most of them.

The students from the elementary school were joined by several four- and five-year-olds from the village who formed their own line on the outer edge of the group. They were trying their best to mimic the older kids, but their movement were rough approximations and they were always half a beat behind the older kids.

The song went on for seven or eight minutes. I was so mesmerized, it could have gone on all morning as far as I was concerned. When it was over, the kids all dashed back into their classrooms as quickly as they had left.

I was just about ready to open my mouth to re-launch the tic tac toe activity when I looked down and saw that all ten of our third graders –without any prompting- were doing some sort of post-exercise cool down.

They all had their eyes closed and were lightly pinching and rubbing the bridge of their noses with a forefinger and thumb. Then they lightly massaged their eyebrows and forehead.

I think its important in life to know when to step back, be quiet, and just watch. This definitely qualified as one of those moments. My five boys and I just stood there watching the kids and glancing at each other. After ninety seconds, all ten third graders stopped, opened their eyes, and stared at us waiting for whatever we had planned next.

We all resumed playing tic tac toe.

-Jack