That's a bonus for Chelsea!
Anyway, I was working as usual, went out for lunch break, when the kids asked me to join one of the teams because there were only 9 of them. I started out as a goalkeeper, but then played a bit as a defender. Some of the kids have real talent wich makes me sad in a way. I live in a place with mostly immigrants, and let us just say that the area doesn't have the best reputation. What makes me sad is that these kids won't get a real chance to show what they can. Some of them will most certainly go down the wrong path ( I know there are 12/13 year olds that do drugs, and it fucking breaks my heart), and hopefully a few will at least play for the local team when they grow up. Some of them have great vision and don't just dribble the ball from one end to the other. They actually try to play the ball into the net, with some dribbles here and there. At first they were all egoistic, but after telling them over and over again that technique alone isn't the way, they are finally starting to play some good football for their age. There is a cup for all the schools around the city and I'll be coaching one of our classes (10-11 year olds) because they asked me if I was interested and they have trust in me. Not because I'm a good coach or anything, it's all about my background. They see me as one of them. I'm an immigrant myself and went to the same school. I know most of their elder siblings too, and some of them have done fairly well for themselves.
I'm really strict with the kids, both in the class room and when they are on breaks. Sometimes I really have to show them who's boss, but most of the time they are great. I joke with them a lot, too. They often say that they love having me around and that they won't come to school if I quit. It warms my heart, but I also tell them that if they quit school, I'll beat them up. It really feels like the best place to work. Hell, sometimes they spontaneously come over to me and hug me. And if I have to yell at them ( sometimes I scare them shitless and make them cry), they later come to me and apologize, and we talk about what they did wrong. The hardest part is trying to get them interested in studying. They're really smart when they put their mind to it. Some of the kids are far ahead of the schedule we plan for the semester and we give them extra (more difficult) assignments. Some of them are smart, but are not very good at reading. There's a kid that's a fucking genius when it comes to math, but he can't read well, so I help him out a lot. I also talk to their real football coaches, and tell them how they behave in school if they have a bad period. He'll give them some shit over there too.
From over 150 kids from the ages of 6-12, there are a maximum of 10 Swedish kids. We have kids from all over the world, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Albania, Bosnia, Russia, Poland and more. It's a great diversity, but I can't help but feel that they aren't getting integrated into the Swedish soceity in a proper way. When I was in school, the Swedish kids were still in the majority. It has created a mentality that makes me sad. It's "we" and "them", wich doesn't bode well for the future. I'll just have to keep working hard, and teach them what I can both when it comes to actual school work and how to be good people outside of school.
(Excuse my poor English.)
