There are not many things I say more often when teaching than …

“After all … it’s just a game”

The reason that I emphasize this so often is to remind students about the importance of using good sportsmanship and making sure that they don’t get too worked up over winning and losing.

I do, however, think it’s extremely important to play games where students win and lose, otherwise they will never get a chance to learn how to win and lose correctly, and I as a teacher will miss out on many teachable moments.