In today's post, I'm going to discuss an idea I had back in September, but I decided to put it now in case you want to think about new year's resolutions and what kind of person you want to aim to be.
At the beginning of the school year, my responsible, thoughtful, and energetic class presidents (Hi, QP and IS!) wrote a scavenger hunt for the Class of 2025 to do as a getting-to-know-you, class-bonding activity. At each location on campus, the randomly assigned groups had to take a photo or video of themselves in some formation (oldest-to-youngest, lives-closest-to-lives-farthest-from-Hotchkiss, game face, screaming a quote from a movie, etc). I noticed three approaches to completing the tasks, and the more I've thought about them, the more telling I think they are.
One group of people wanted to win. Those players ran from clue to clue whether all sixteen members of their teams were with them or not. They took the photos of an ever diminishing number of players and got to the finish line first.
One group bowed out. Whether their teammates were racing or strolling, they decided to spend the time in other ways. Rather than meet their new classmates and reacquaint with the returners after a summer away, they went to the school's store or back to their dorms.
The third group played in the spirit of the game. They chatted with one another, thought of funny ways to get everyone into the photo, and finished as a team. They had fun and enjoyed one another's company, integrating new students into the class's social structure.
By the title of the post and. my descriptions of the distinct groups, you can tell which approach I value. Can you see yourself in one of the three mindsets? Do you agree with me that the value of some games lies in their playing rather than in their results? What advantages do you see to each? In what ways did some of the kids miss an opportunity? Please share your responses in the comments.