In my mentorship work in schools, I do a lot of role playing with students. The common conflicts students engage in are competition in sports, friendships and grades. I’m frequently struggling with how we can help students see the fun of merely playing a sport for the sake of exercise, fun and becoming more skilled at the sport. When I ask students why they play soccer, for instance, they say for fun, exercise and getting more skilled. However, the conflicts that occur on the playground are due to competition. Whoever wins often taunts the losing team, saying, “Ha, ha, you lost, we won.” How can we help our students play for fun, excerize and developing personal skills to get better for each other? A true leader actually gets more excitement when she helps others become better. I know that I find much more fulfillment when I mentor someone and they excel.
