first draft
“Soccer will be in your veins!”
My dad was always a big fan of soccer, or as they say “football” in England. “Football will be in your veins” he would always say, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I were born wearing a pair of football boots. I guess it seems pretty cliche; Dad loves soccer, therefore, son plays soccer. It’s true, the fact that I got into soccer was because my dad started teaching me from a young age, but it wasn’t just fun and games. He wasn’t “Mr Nice Guy”, I’ve had to go through him shouting and yelling at me, and I admit, there were moments where I felt pretty beaten down. After all, a father’s words to their son hold a lot of weight. This is especially true when you’re just a little kid, sometimes all you want in the world is to make him proud. Of course, now I recognise that if he didn’t push me then, I wouldn't be able to push myself now.
When my first year for school soccer tryouts came, I only made it to the first rounds before getting sent back home. It was a sad experience, but just like soccer, there will always be another game to win and you can’t score a goal if you’re busy sitting on your bum, you have to get back on your feet. So that’s what I did, I practised. Practice is what keeps you going, how else are you going to improve? You’ll go into every game thinking you’ll lose, and even if you do, by practising you’ll know if you improved or not, then the next game you’ll win. Next year's tryouts came, I and my dad were ready to show em’ that this was my moment to win a spot on the team. The 1st round came and went, then the 2nd. Before you knew it, it was the final round, where you either make it or break it… I never made the team.
I spent the rest of my weekends in England playing on the “Weekend Team”, less serious than the official team, but there were new people every day. Because the members were always changing, I grew to recognise the types of people I like, reflecting the kind of person I am, and as we spent more time together we became a team. Everyone gave each other constructive criticism, and through that, the team improved as a whole. Teammates, they aren’t there to put you down, they are “mates”. Without them you won’t go anywhere, out can’t play without them. I understood the importance of a team and working as a team, but boy, when I transferred to an international high-school in Japan, I wished that soccer was an individual sport.
I didn’t know what to expect from the soccer team in my new school. Will it just be a repetition of last time? As it happens, there weren’t even any tryouts and the experience level much different than in England. You were either good or looked like you’ve never seen a ball in your life. Playing with this team was one of the most frustrating experiences. We always lost, and every time I would be playing in a game and one of my teammates messed up I would be infuriated. Sometimes I would yell at them during the game or I’d take it out on the ball. One thing that made me love the weekend team back in the U.K. was the comradery and how everyone helped each other. So though my frustration I remembered that if I wanted to be a part of a better team, we had to help each other. Back in England, I was always the student, but in HIS I am also a teacher. As a teacher, I started to notice how different people learn differently than I do. I’m a fast learner, but I need to adjust how I teach and the pace at which I teach to fit the student. As a mentor and teammate I have to remind my team that a teammate is a “mate”, we win together and we lose together. We are sportsmen, and sportsmen don’t go into a game thinking they’re gonna lose and give up. There’s no meaning to give up. We keep trying until the game ends. If there’s a wall you want to climb, you don’t just turn around and walk home, you climb that wall… except if it’s the wall of china, then you get a sledgehammer each and break that wall down, and you’ll do it as a team.
My dad would always say “Information is power”, he’s right. When you learn new things it becomes important because you can apply knowledge to all aspects of your life. Through soccer, I gained friends… and maybe also enemies. I gained information about people, how they learn, and how to adjust to their differences. I applied this to my new school, where there are people from all over the world who differ from me in many ways. People here in Japan are never giving up and inspired me to be persistent and have a strong mindset. I see the impact that soccer has had on many aspects of my life; school, how I interact with my classmates, and how I have a growing respect for others. I see my friends trying new things, being motivated to workout in the gym, struggling to complete an assignment on time, and they remind me what the point is in trying. I’m trying to improve on many things, I wanted to learn a new sport so I joined Tennis, even though I knew I’d be bad at it. You try so you learn, and life and school are pointless if you don’t take advantage of the opportunity you are given to grow.
Can I say it again? … Information is power.
My dad was always a big fan of soccer, or as they say “football” in England. “Football will be in your veins” he would always say, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I were born wearing a pair of football boots. I guess it seems pretty cliche; Dad loves soccer, therefore, son plays soccer. It’s true, the fact that I got into soccer was because my dad started teaching me from a young age, but it wasn’t just fun and games. He wasn’t “Mr Nice Guy”, I’ve had to go through him shouting and yelling at me, and I admit, there were moments where I felt pretty beaten down. After all, a father’s words to their son hold a lot of weight. This is especially true when you’re just a little kid, sometimes all you want in the world is to make him proud. Of course, now I recognise that if he didn’t push me then, I wouldn't be able to push myself now.
When my first year for school soccer tryouts came, I only made it to the first rounds before getting sent back home. It was a sad experience, but just like soccer, there will always be another game to win and you can’t score a goal if you’re busy sitting on your bum, you have to get back on your feet. So that’s what I did, I practised. Practice is what keeps you going, how else are you going to improve? You’ll go into every game thinking you’ll lose, and even if you do, by practising you’ll know if you improved or not, then the next game you’ll win. Next year's tryouts came, I and my dad were ready to show em’ that this was my moment to win a spot on the team. The 1st round came and went, then the 2nd. Before you knew it, it was the final round, where you either make it or break it… I never made the team.
I spent the rest of my weekends in England playing on the “Weekend Team”, less serious than the official team, but there were new people every day. Because the members were always changing, I grew to recognise the types of people I like, reflecting the kind of person I am, and as we spent more time together we became a team. Everyone gave each other constructive criticism, and through that, the team improved as a whole. Teammates, they aren’t there to put you down, they are “mates”. Without them you won’t go anywhere, out can’t play without them. I understood the importance of a team and working as a team, but boy, when I transferred to an international high-school in Japan, I wished that soccer was an individual sport.
I didn’t know what to expect from the soccer team in my new school. Will it just be a repetition of last time? As it happens, there weren’t even any tryouts and the experience level much different than in England. You were either good or looked like you’ve never seen a ball in your life. Playing with this team was one of the most frustrating experiences. We always lost, and every time I would be playing in a game and one of my teammates messed up I would be infuriated. Sometimes I would yell at them during the game or I’d take it out on the ball. One thing that made me love the weekend team back in the U.K. was the comradery and how everyone helped each other. So though my frustration I remembered that if I wanted to be a part of a better team, we had to help each other. Back in England, I was always the student, but in HIS I am also a teacher. As a teacher, I started to notice how different people learn differently than I do. I’m a fast learner, but I need to adjust how I teach and the pace at which I teach to fit the student. As a mentor and teammate I have to remind my team that a teammate is a “mate”, we win together and we lose together. We are sportsmen, and sportsmen don’t go into a game thinking they’re gonna lose and give up. There’s no meaning to give up. We keep trying until the game ends. If there’s a wall you want to climb, you don’t just turn around and walk home, you climb that wall… except if it’s the wall of china, then you get a sledgehammer each and break that wall down, and you’ll do it as a team.
My dad would always say “Information is power”, he’s right. When you learn new things it becomes important because you can apply knowledge to all aspects of your life. Through soccer, I gained friends… and maybe also enemies. I gained information about people, how they learn, and how to adjust to their differences. I applied this to my new school, where there are people from all over the world who differ from me in many ways. People here in Japan are never giving up and inspired me to be persistent and have a strong mindset. I see the impact that soccer has had on many aspects of my life; school, how I interact with my classmates, and how I have a growing respect for others. I see my friends trying new things, being motivated to workout in the gym, struggling to complete an assignment on time, and they remind me what the point is in trying. I’m trying to improve on many things, I wanted to learn a new sport so I joined Tennis, even though I knew I’d be bad at it. You try so you learn, and life and school are pointless if you don’t take advantage of the opportunity you are given to grow.
Can I say it again? … Information is power.
self evaluated rubric
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