Some students hesitate to compete hard in Academic Games or anything else. They don’t seem to want to offend the opponent by trying to win. Perhaps this attitude stems from an “everybody must be allowed to play” or a “winning is not important” environment. In some cases, a student, in or out of the classroom, doesn’t want to face the disappointment of trying his/her best and still not succeeding. “If I don’t put forth my best effort, I can always give that as the excuse when I fail.”
Whether we like it or not, the real world is a highly competitive place, and students must be prepared to be successful in higher education and the job market.
Should a player apologize for being overly competitive? And just what is “overly competitive”? We’ll deal with those issues next month.
