Last Monday I was back at the Alternative Education Center (aka, the school where Austin was throwing chairs). So, I was prepared for the worst.
And... nothing terrible happened. It was a pretty chill day. So, win.
Fourth period. Health. I had one student.
Security, who had been hanging out in the room on and off all day, returned and started getting things set up...
The student, Jocelyn, was ready to start the sex ed unit, but a parent conference had to happen first, so until then, they had been passing the time playing Sequence.
(I was given the option of doing something else, but I'm all for keeping things as they've been going. Besides, I enjoy a good game.)
I've seen the game on store shelves, but I've never tried it. As he set up, security explained the gist. We play in teams, so he and I were on one team, and Jocelyn and the school counselor, Ms. R, were on the other. Apparently, Jocelyn and Ms. R are formidable opponents. Security was itching to beat them.
The basic premise is to get a row of five checkers, but you can only put checkers down if you have the right card.
Jocelyn started. By the time it was my turn, I had an idea of what to do. Jocelyn's team got one row, but to win you need two. I focused on blocking, but I built up our rows when I could.
We won game 1.
Game 2 we lost.
I wasn't too disappointed. We tried. And now we were even. But we had about twenty minutes left of class, so we had time for game 3.
Neither team was making much headway. We'd get three in a row, and then the other team would block.
It was getting close to lunch. Then it was lunch. But we were close. Each team had one row, but we needed a second.
And then I had the opportunity to play my wild card. I had been dealt a wild card at the beginning, but I held it until I could use it. I saw the win, and I took it.
Yup, I play to win.
I suppose I should have let the student win. Right? Maybe?
I don't know. I mean, she did win one. Of three...
Ah well. They'll know not to let me play next time if they don't want me to really try.
Playing games, winning and losing, are important life lessons
ReplyDeleteI share this precise opinion. :D
DeleteThey are. And it's not like she doesn't usually win.
DeleteDid you do a victory dance after you won, like some kind of obnoxious end zone celebration? If so, that might have been going a little far, but otherwise you're good. ;)
ReplyDeleteAt the school where I taught, we played UNO a lot. The entire school population got into it, and we all played to win. Sure, the students would often try to gang up on the teachers...but it just made the victory celebrate all the better when we won anyway. :)
Yay for the sub! Never let those kids win if you can help it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know kids still played games. Glad you found a fun way to pass the time.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the situation. It's not a usual thing, but it does happen from time to time.
DeleteI never liked the idea of letting someone win. You don't want them to have false confidence.
ReplyDeleteYou had the card, you played it. Your team won and that's good enough.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to win.
DeleteYou did the right thing. Losing is an important lesson in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteShe'll just have to up her game in the future ;)
DeleteGames are so important in education. And winning and losing is all part of the game. In these days of computer games, good to see table top, physical games, being played. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Liz - I agree with everyone's comments - you did the best thing for her ... learning - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteSounds like when I hopped in on the girl's side at my son's tug-o-war game because they had a couple of dads on their team and 12 more boys than girls, and the girls only had 3 moms. Apparently, I'm a lot stronger than I thought, because when I jumped in, the line moved significantly and we won.
ReplyDeleteYay! It feels good to win, doesn't it?
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