I hated gym class.

This may surprise you, but I hated gym class in high school. My main goal was to not break a single bead of sweat so that I didn't have to get a shower.

My freshman year of gym, I was the only freshman in my gym class. How awkward. I didn't know anyone. I still would've hated gym if I knew people.

During my senior year, I had gym first period. How horrible!!!!!! I rarely showered after gym because I rarely perspired. I did the bare minimum. I was the one that always wanted to be the goalie.

The thing was, I just didn't like sports at all. I was not competitive in the least. I wasn't a runner. I didn't play basketball or soccer or anything like that. And I just didn't care at all.

However, I did like my gym teacher. Mrs. Baker was really cool and was always nice to me, even though I clearly did not try my best. Now that I'm a teacher, I can imagine how frustrated she must have been to see me not give a flying you know what about my effort in her class. I know I  get frustrated when kids don't work to their full potential in my music class! And they're elementary kids!

Mrs. Baker never made me feel bad in gym. She never made me think I wasn't good at things or that I wasn't athletic. My hatred for gym had nothing to do with me thinking, "Oh I am just no good at this." It was simply that I didn't care.

It's sort of amazing how in high school, I had no interest in being active (accept for dancing in musicals), but now it is such a huge part of my life. It is my "me" time. When I workout in the morning, I figure shit out. It's the closest I can get to meditation as possible.

A couple years ago, I ran my first 5k. This was right before I started my blog, so I never really wrote about it before. The 5k was in my hometown, so a lot of locals were running it. I trained and had my mind set on running it in under 20 minutes. Well, I did it! I clocked in at 19:51 and I was so proud of myself!

I came in 3rd overall and I was the first woman. My parents came out to cheer me on and I was so happy I could make them proud. Even my Grandma, who is in her eighties, sat on a lawn chair and watched me race for the first time. It was a great day.

And guess who I saw at the end of the race? My gym teacher, Mrs. Baker!!!

I can't believe she got to see me accept my award for 1st woman and 3rd place overall.

As a teacher, I hope I can be more like Mrs. Baker. Luckily, most of my students love to sing, but some of them. don't. I hope when those students leave my room, they know they can sing, and maybe someday they will enjoy it, even if they don't enjoy it now. I don't want them to ever think they are not musical just because they don't particularly like music class.

Did you like gym class?
Tell me about a class you did not like even though you did like the teacher that taught it!