I remember that fall morning two years ago as if it were yesterday. When I woke up, I had an inexplicable feeling of ambition, as if I needed to do something that day. I had been playing tennis for three years and considered myself pretty good. So I called the Roudenbush Community Center hesitantly, not knowing whether they would laugh at me or welcome me. The activities director was elated and suggested that I teach the fourth and fifth graders. I was taken aback by how easy it was to attain my goal.

I will never forget my first lesson. I had four fourth graders for an hour and a half, and I had absolutely no idea how to fill the time. Yet another challenge: three of them had never played. I ended up using half the time showing them how to hold the racket and swing correctly. When the lesson was over, I walked away thinking I had failed miserably, but I was determined not to quit.

The next week, when I walked in, a verbal fight broke out among the kids over who would get to have a lesson. I was astonished, to say the least. I had thought that they hated me and weren’t interested in tennis. With this new boost of confidence, I began again, but in an entirely new way. I abandoned traditional teaching methods and adopted a more creative and fun way to share the sport. By creating an environment that the kids enjoyed, I was able to foster their skills at a surprisingly fast pace.

Words cannot describe how good it feels to see a simple smile when someone finally gets the ball over the net or to have parents tell you that their children love the lessons. It is the looks of anticipation and excitement I get each week, the little comments like “Do we have to stop?” or “This is so fun,” that make teaching tennis so worthwhile.

The tennis program I began is now in its second year and going strong. Many of the kids returned with new rackets and stories about how they had played over the summer. I was amazed that I had such a large impact and that I had given them the tools to learn on their own and have a great time. All too often we take, take, take, and in the process forget that we can also give back.