Coach Cheek, Warren County Middle School.
“It’s really hard work,” Coach Cheek explains to me, as, over the course of the day, he opened up to me about stories of not only being a busy P.E. teacher and coach, but also being a friend, a guidance counselor, a mentor, and the only person that many marginalized middle school students feel comfortable talking to. Having grown up in a really rough neighborhood, without a father, he completely understands and works to fill the void of so many of the middle school students in Warren County– the poorest county in North Carolina. “I’m here to help at-risk kids now, just as some key teachers and coaches were there to help me.”
I spoke to four of Coach Cheek’s middle school classes today, getting a taste of some of the very energetic personalities of which he speaks.
“It doesn’t take long for me to learn which kids have their parents involved their lives– and which don’t. In fact, I learn that the first day,” as he goes on to explain the vast behavioral differences he experiences with students who have caring, involved parents, and those who don’t.
Just as coaches helped him through his tough teenage years by being involved in his life on the court & field and off, Coach Cheek also finds himself heavily involved, year-round, with many of his students. He helps guide the kids and keep them out of trouble; he meets their families; he helps them with rides; he helps them buy the gear they may not be able to afford.
Interestingly, as often as we hear of gazillionaire athletes scoring the last-minute touchdown or basket and being heralded as heroes, people like Coach Cheek–whose hard work lasts well beyond the final bell–impress and inspire me far more than any typical “TV hero.” Of course, among the teaching ranks, Coach Cheek definitely isn’t alone with the tireless devotion he gives his students and surrounding community.
I look forward to staying in touch with Coach Cheek– as his inspiring work will surely keep a smile on my face and in my heart across the miles.
I’m also excited to soon receive the great news of the birth of Coach Cheek’s first child– he & his wife are expecting a baby girl to arrive two weeks from now…
Coach Cheek
Coach Cheek
Coach Cheek generates many smiles
Kids love Coach Cheek!
Speaking to Coach Cheek’s 8th graders this morning.
3rd graders at Mariam Boyd Elementary School
5th graders at Mariam Boyd Elementary School
“Do you ever change your drawers?” one of the students asks me, with a silly look on his face, right after taking this pic with all the fifth graders at Mariam Boyd Elementary in Warrenton, NC.
I had to ask him to repeat himself, because at first, with the rural Carolina accent in addition to a word I don’t use- “drawers–” (I say “underwear”), I couldn’t understand him.
Then, just as I understood what he was saying, his principal shooed him, “get to class!”
I would have happily answered his question:
By the time I reached California, I remember people in the know heavily advocating for the underwear that was advertised as “17 countries, 1 pair of underwear.” I ended up getting two pair– one grey and one black, making it easier to keep track of which is which. It’s a type of super-strong , synthetic underwear that you can quickly wash in the sink with a bar of soap, wring out, and wear to dry. (I believe that various brands of durable synthetic underwear exist.)
The kid actually asked a great question, especially given that some Appalachian Trail hikers have told me: “underwear is overrated.”
Mariam Boyd Elementary School principal
Kristina, Public Relations Director for Warren County Public Schools, has organized all of today and tomorrow’s speaking appearances 