School Days, School Days...Funny School Days

Many years now the start of the Illinois State Fair signaled another beginning...School Days!
When yours truly was putting on those new stiff blue jeans to begin a new East St. Louis public school year it was ALWAYS the Tuesday after Labor Day. Of course, back in the day, we did not see summer vacation until nearly mid-June. No matter the start or finish time, make no mistake some wonderful memories and funny events will unfold in School settings across this nation. Teachers would be wise to make anecdotal notations...could be a best seller.

Recalling thirty-nine years coaching and teaching in public schools, I can conjure up many head-scratching moments. I had two 'special-needs' students in physical education who could not remember a lock-combination number, therefore I put them both in one locker believing between them they would remember...I was wrong so everyday I opened the lock for them. Each time they both expressed excitement as they would look at one another and say,"WOW!" I got so I enjoyed the moment.

My first year coaching basketball, I had my Assumption freshmen team playing at Findlay, IL. on a Saturday morning. I sent a substitute into the game. When he pulled off his warm up top it was apparent he'd forgotten to put on his jersey. On another occasion, I told a freshman basketball player to "Go in the game for so and so." Instead of reporting to the scorer's table, the sub ran directly onto the court yelling the teammate's name he was replacing. Then there was the player who pleaded with   me to say more than one pre-game prayer. He claimed, "I can jump higher after you pray, Coach." (Perhaps I should have been a preacher). I was speechless one game-night right after the opening tip-off. A star player, in front of a crowd of 3-thousand plus, called a time out, ran to our bench and said, "Coach, I gotta Poop."

My son, Steve, coaching Granite City H.S. tells the story of a senior basketball player who telephoned him late one night to ask the Coach if he would bail him out of jail. Seems that the player and a friend robbed a pizza delivery man at gun point. The basketball player told his coach, "Coach, I don't think they got a case against me because I wasn't holding the gun and I only ate one slice of the pizza."

And finally this...A basketball player was late arriving at the gym on game night. When he finally  showed up he explained the tardiness, "Coach, the family got a puppy two weeks ago and tonight he got out of the house and we couldn't find him for a long time. But it won't be a problem again. You see, we had not agreed on a name for the dog but Tonight we named him 'Runner.' Next time he gets loose, he'll hear his name when we call it."
(Touch)
School Days