Hmmm...did blogger change again?  It looks a little different and I can't seem to make paragraphs. Oh well. Anyway...Ugh. I hate dodgeball. It was a favorite of the gym teacher from h-ll. I always hoped to get "out" immediately, so that I could sit on the side for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, there were times when this plan didn't work - I was an easy target and so the good players preferred to get rid of the true competition first. Which was awful, because being left until last, or nearly last, to be eliminated put me under enormous pressure. My teammates would scream from the sidelines, "get" whatever vicious player was left on the opposing side. Yeah right! The result was always the same, taking a blistering hit - sometimes to the face - picked off by the victor, guaranteeing a loss for the team, and reinforcing their disdain. A few semesters ago, one of my students wrote in his journal that he had no patience for people who fight to have dodgeball banned because it hurts kids self-esteem. He listed off all the wonderful things it teaches and fun it represents. I couldn't resist commenting that although I too question the endless self-esteem promoters, and people interfering over every little thing they don't like, I destest the so-called "sport." I wrote that I believe it is simple laziness on the part of physical education teachers, that they could be teaching something valuable about health and nutrition and exercise and instead they rely on cruel, simple, time-wasting games such as dodgeball, that left me with a lifelong disdain for athletics. I ended with "if dodgeball is abolished, I will host the biggest party ever." The student responded, "be sure to invite me!" (Maybe he thought we should round up one last farewell game?)