Vinte e Sete Meses em Moçambique : Shoot, I Couldn't Be Prouder!

Tania (right) showing a girl the correct way to shoot a basketball

This week, I experienced my happiest moment as a teacher and coach in Mozambique, so far! On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (today), there were basketball try-outs for the 8th grade girls and the now 9th graders from last year assisted with the training by demonstrating the drills. But what I didn't expect them to do was to gather groups of 8th graders and teach them to pass the ball and dribble without my having to tell them to do that. They were ahead of the game. My eyes are tearing up as I type because as a coach and teacher, sometimes I wonder if my student athletes understand what I'm teaching them or the purpose of doing a "three-man weave". But when I witnessed the 9th graders coming together as a team and showing the younger cohort how to position the ball flat on their palms before shooting a free-throw shot and having them repeat chants like, "A bola e como oro" (the ball is like gold) when jumping for the rebound, I held my breath for at least a minute.

This is it! This is what my volunteering job is about. It's about teaching the youth skills that they can pass on to the next group. It's not about having them depend on me or future volunteers for constant guidance or new balls. Sometimes being able to teach another person enhances the teacher's understanding of the subject because he/she is forced to concentrate on it. By being mentors, the 9th graders were able to gather all of what they've learned from last year in their heads and articulate the drills in a way that the beginners could comprehend. I'm ecstatic that the girls not only were paying attention to all of my lectures, but they're able to perform and teach the game of basketball to others. I couldn't be prouder.

Here are some pictures: