23 Comments
User's avatar
Over_by_art_Minnesota's avatar

All I can say, amazing! Not only are you teaching them about lifting weights, you're teaching them discipline, perseverance, cooperation, good habits both physically and mentally, and yes, even disappointment. The thing is, they'll have the tools to work through that disappointment, to work harder, smarter, and it'll carry over to all parts of their lives.

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

Thats the hope! Appreciate it.

Expand full comment
Pedro Ramilo's avatar

Such a joy to read. Not just about the kids but your own perseverance and your spirit of mission and dedication. Congrats!

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

I had a ton of fun writing and sharing this. Thanks for the shout out here =)

Expand full comment
Will T's avatar

Dude this is amazing and the pictures are invaluable, thanks for including. I’m a public school teacher and I felt the paragraph about the four years of emails and bureaucracy to change something in my bones.

Keep fighting the good fight, and writing about it, and I bet you could get some of your stories picked up by larger outlets.

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

Will, thank you for your service. Always happy to know when a fellow teacher is reading my work. And yeah, bureaucracy in public schools is insane

Expand full comment
Pete Howard's avatar

Awesome, just awesome. Persevere. Find a way. Start small and build. Never give up. Those kids are learning way more than weightlifting.

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

I like to think so. Thanks for the shout out here Pete.

Expand full comment
𝓐fra 𝓜asud's avatar

I saw the BarBell t shirt and started cracking up. That's hilarious 😂

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

lol, one of my favorite T's

Expand full comment
Elisabeth's avatar

Congratulations. Very inspirational. Were the students keen to join the sessions from day one? Did you find some resistance from female students esp. a few years ago when the world seemed less about being strong? How did you persuade them to join, if so?

But again, bravo. You're proof of your own mantra as you consistently kept at it.

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

lol, first four months I only had one kid. The Admin told me they couldn't pay me until I had at least 5. Decided I'd just train him one on one. Kid got bigger and eventually other kids notcied. Then I picked up about 5 more boys by the end of the year. I should've added that to the story lol.

Girls started joining as soon as tiktok made it clear that working out could help build a gigantic caboose

Expand full comment
Spellbound Comics's avatar

Dude, you did it again. Top 3 post. Maybe best one yet because it had so much history behind it, giving you plenty to draw from. An absolutely amazing story, and I’m now convinced more than ever that you should be filming after school for a YouTube series. 👏🏻

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

Spellbound! Haha, you're one of the OG followers around these parts. You've seen my writing for quite some time, so I know this is high praise. Appreciate you!

Expand full comment
Sarah Best's avatar

This is amazing. Glad I came across this and looking forward to reading more.

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

This is one of my favorite articles I’ve written. Welcome to Fit To Teach - glad you’re on board.

Expand full comment
Lucas's avatar

Fucking beast

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

Haha, more like a dogged chihuahua that didn’t stop barking at his administration… but hell yeah. Appreciate it.

Expand full comment
Paul Black's avatar

I’M NOT CRYING - It’s just dusty in here

Expand full comment
Fit To Teach's avatar

It does get dusty in that weight room from time to time - that's for sure!

Expand full comment
Granite's avatar

I like this. Provides a lot of good things, like role models and fitness

Expand full comment