ACHIEVING WHAT I WANTED BY PLAYING THE DRAFT GAME WITH THEM
Normally, I do not really like afternoon classes, especially on a sunny day when I know that most of the students might be stressed and tired, particularly when they are in a classroom without a fan to keep them cool. But I had no choice that fateful day but to go inside and teach them. Whenever I enter a class at such a time, I always look for something like an energizer to do with them in order to prepare their minds.
So I entered the class that afternoon, and most of the students did not even notice that I was already inside. I turned and saw some of them playing draft made with paper. Immediately they saw me, they quickly stood up and tried hiding the paper-made draft. I told them not to, that I had already seen it. I saw fear in their eyes, but they never knew that I did not intend to punish them.
Immediately, they started saying, “Please sir, please sir.” I smiled and told them to relax and put the game back on the desk because I was going to play with them. Right away, I saw them smiling again. I knew I had captured their minds. Meanwhile, draft is one of the games that I love so much because it helps you think and reason very well before making a move. Another game I love is chess and also Scrabble. I am not so good at playing chess, I try a little in Scrabble, but when it comes to draft, I am the king.
So we started playing, and I told them jokingly that they must not win their teacher because if they did, everybody would be punished. We all laughed. While playing, we were also talking. They told me things, and I also used the opportunity to prepare their minds for the next class we were about to begin. The entire class gathered to watch the game while I took turns to play with them. At a point, I knew I would not be able to play with everyone individually, so I had to group them, and I became a member of one of the groups. They did not win me and did not win my group because I love the game.
I took time to tell them why I love draft and advised them to keep playing it, but only during break time. Although I had one hour to spend with them that day, I used about twenty-five minutes to play the game with them. That alone helped them relax and prepare their minds for the lesson. Truly, for that week, that was one of the best and most interactive classes I had. I was able to use the remaining thirty-five minutes to cover everything I had planned to teach.
NB : ALL PHOTOS ARE MINE