He dribbles the basketball awkwardly around the gym. As he attempts to go through the drills, I see him trip and fall awkwardly to the ground. It is not unusual for Theodore to fall dramatically. He gets up and keeps going. Theodore is shorter, skinnier and frailer looking than his peers. His attempt at controlling the ball is dreadful. He has always struggled with motor skills. Even now in Grade 6, his hand aches when he writes, because he yet has to figure out his pencil grip. His ambidextrous, double-jointed and uncomfortable movements make him look like a fish out of water when it comes to any physical activity. Even when he walks in the hallways, with his favourite lace-less brown shoes and ankle high corduroy pants, he looks a little off balance.
Nevertheless, Theodore does not seem to see himself as an outcast in this gym. He perseveres and, in a way, finds himself to be quite a good basketball player. His attitude and confidence seems to lift him above his clumsiness. Nothing ever seems to faze him. Theodore is a cute kid. His skin is pale and his face is spotted with freckles. He has large blue eyes and big front teeth. He articulates his thoughts elegantly and always speaks his mind. He has a brilliant mind, inquisitive, observational and always making connections. He sees Science in everything. This is a kid
From Portfolio of Narrative Inquiry, CCFI 508, 2014