Monday, May 2, 2016
The Lesson I Learned from “Mush”
When a beloved person passes away, people gather in person or, these days, even on-line, to pay tribute and exchange reminiscences. Without a doubt, many anecdotes about John “Mush” Moiseichik will be exchanged by former Cortland High School athletes who were fortunate enough to be coached by Mush. My personal memory is much more unlikely. When I was in Pomeroy Elementary School in the mid 1950s, Mush did me a favor that provided me with a life lesson that still guides my interactions not only with students, but with others, too.
I was not particularly athletic as a young girl and had very little upper body strength. Gym class (now known as P.E.) was not a favorite of mine. If my class went into the gym, and I saw the vaulting horse, I would get a sinking feeling. However, nothing made me more panic-stricken than the sight of the ropes dangling from the ceiling. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I could not propel myself upward using my arms, my legs, or the combination of all my limbs. I had tried time and again with no success and now expected to be embarrassed in front of my classmates once more.
To my surprise, the stern Miss Wilfred was not there on one particular "rope day." Instead, a very handsome man with a black crew cut had come from the high school to run classes that day. As soon as he saw me struggling, he came over and gave me a little boost. That little boost helped me to break through the barrier of gravity and sent me on my way. For the first time, my arms worked to keep me moving upward while my feet helped with little pushes. In what seemed like no time, I was at the top of the rope, looking down on everyone. What a sight! What a sense of achievement! I will never forget that experience.
It is true that I didn’t do it all on my own, and I didn’t expect to be able to get up there as easily the next time we had to climb ropes. I did gain confidence, though, and managed to get further up the rope in the future than I had ever been able to do before my encounter with Mush. I never felt hopeless in front of the ropes again.
From that experience, I realized that some people just need a little assistance to get over particular obstacles that prevent them from achieving their potential. Demanding total self-sufficiency from everybody from the get-go will leave some people behind who have more to give. As a teacher, I have learned how to give students various types of “little boosts” to help them become better readers and writers without making them permanently dependent. I have seen them climb up their own metaphorical “rope,” and I have often thought back to what Mush did for me that day at Pomeroy School.
I don’t know what Mush was like as a coach on the football field. Maybe he was completely different than he was with me. He might have just taken pity on a scrawny little girl with a very long pony tail. All I know is he taught me how to help my students and others I encounter in life to overcome small roadblocks that would otherwise keep them from getting to their destinations.
By Stephanie Passeri-Densmore
(Eighth Grade English Teacher—Cortland Jr. Sr. High School
