Two minute hero - how roller derby has improved my teaching

A year ago as part of our whole school growth mindset promotion campaign,  I decided to challenge myself and my year group to learn a new skill. At the time I was trying to lead an assembly on the power of practice and I found myself suggesting that we should all record video diaries of our progress over the course of a year to be shown in a 'talent show that's not a talent show because it's all about practice show!' 
I eagerly set about looking for a skill to master and after a trip with a friend to see the Tiger Bay Brawlers and a chance conversation with my (now) coach, I chose roller derby. Here is a link to a video which explains the sport http://tinyurl.com/hptjoya As a child I loved to skate and as an adult I have often persuaded my friends to go to roller discos with me for fun. I secretly thought that this choice would be an easy one and I would be able to master the sport quickly. I was wrong! Roller derby is mentally and physically demanding and requires a high level of tactical knowledge and skill. Skaters need to demonstrate the ability to perform a long list of skills including the athletic feat of being able to skate 27 laps of the track in five minutes (that's approximately 1.6km or a mile in five minutes) I embarked naively on what has been and remains an authentic growth mindset journey.
COMFORT ZONE
There have been times when I have felt comfortable. I am now skating with confidence and I have realised that I really value the times when I do feel at ease because it gives me the courage to push myself on into the next challenge. Our coaches never allow us to stay there for long and I am always glad to be pushed out of my comfort zone because I know that I am going to learn and improve.
THE POWER OF PRACTICE
It is clear to me that the more hours you spend on skates, the better you become. It really is that simple. The skaters who are better than me are not naturally talented, but have chosen to dedicate themselves to the sport and the team. They do not only play for our team but regularly travel to play with other teams and always return to our training sessions with new ideas. They watch YouTube clips, video themselves and analyse their moves and they arrange sessions to educate the team about mental strength and physical conditioning. They know that improvement will only come through hard work, study and effort.
FAILING AND FALLING
Session one teaches all new skaters how to fall. In derby, we often get it wrong and it hurts. What I have learnt from from this is that it doesn't matter. Even the best players (our coaches) fall right in front of us and nobody cares. You aren't allowed to lie on the floor for long because someone will roll over you. You fall and you get back up over and over again. After you have fallen several times, you realise that you don't actually get hurt that often and most importantly you realise that you are not going to be ridiculed or judged. This is an atmosphere that I hope to nurture in my classroom.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-TALK 
Mastering roller derby skills takes time and effort. I have noticed that with every skill that I have mastered I have become emotionally stronger and more resilient. When the going gets tough, I have learnt to remind myself of how much I have achieved. I have also noticed that I waste too much time comparing myself to others. In short, we need to be kinder to ourselves when we are learning and as a teacher and pastoral leader it is my job to remind pupils of how far they have come. It's not that they can't do it, they just can't do it yet!
LONG AND SHORT TERM GOALS
My sport has taught me that if you want improvement to become a habit, you need to have goals for yourself. For me, my long term goal was to have the confidence to record my skating skills for the talent show. It might seem a bit silly to have put that much effort in to such a simple thing, but it was also about demonstrating to my year group that anything is possible if you put enough effort in. After the show, several pupils approached me to tell me about their hobbies and I was able to use these chats to begin conversations about their ambitions and hopes for the future.
A SENSE OF BELONGING
Above all other lessons I have learnt that people need to feel part of a group or community. We want to feel valued and welcome. My team works very hard to do this and other teams remark upon this as our strength. We need leaders or coaches to model concepts and show us the way and team mates to celebrate our small successes and to support us when things get tough. We need people to challenge us to leave our comfort zones and to point out our mistakes.

I feel very lucky to have found my team and I am now thinking about my next long term goal. By the way, if any of you fancy joining the Riot City Ravens we are always looking for new members!

Thanks for reading, Becky   BexK06