I realized this with crystal clarity when I was nine years old. I was in Mr. DiPetro's 4^th grade class and had a red faced teary-eyed meltdown over a team assignment. Until only a few weeks before this, I was homeschooled. My family had lived on a bus and traveled as gospel singers for my entire life, but in the middle of 4^th grade, we moved to a little town in Ohio. As a homeschooled kid, I had never needed to collaborate or compromise, and the realization that I was not in charge was uncomfortable.

I can't remember what the assignment was, except that it involved scissors, construction paper, and democracy. Whatever the task, the result was tears, screaming, and red-faced embarrassment. I remember the intense rage of not being listened to. I had an idea of how we should proceed, and I lashed out by having an enormous tantrum and embarrassing myself in front of the nicest teacher in school.

This episode aside, I eventually settled into a groove and school became easier. Still, group assignments made me anxious all the way through high school. I avoided them when possible. When I couldn't, I managed to either say very little or divide the work in such a way that collaboration wasn't necessary. Because of this, I have a lot of sympathy for children who feel anxious in groups AND a lot of respect for those who learn early what I didn't learn until adulthood: that teamwork is not only helpful, but necessary.

This brings me to Walden, and more specifically to Sydni and Alessandra's 4^th and 5^th grade class. A few weeks ago, they led an assembly on teamwork. As each student grabbed the mic and shared information, I was struck by their level of confidence. I was also impressed with their grasp on the subject matter. They understood the challenges, benefits, and strategies of team work very well! Through a slideshow, they shared their experience working in teams to make paper clip chains.
They were put into groups of four and given a box of paper clips, which they had to connect without talking and with one hand behind their back.

They talked about the attitudes necessary for teamwork (something my nine-year-old self, and politicians in 2016 could have benefited from) and finally, they talked about the unique skills each of them brings to the group. As the microphone traveled down the line, each student talked about his or her strengths. It was beautiful to see that level of self-knowledge. After the assembly, I wanted to hear more about their insights into teamwork. This was partly because I felt a blog cooking, but also because I remembered being that same age and struggling to accept compromise. I wanted to see what it was that made these students embrace collaboration so thoroughly. Several days later, I got my chance when a handful of Sydni's students agreed to let me interview them on the playground. What follows is taken from our conversations:

What have you learned about teamwork so far this year?

Vivienne: I learned that we can communicate without talking, With our hands, for example. And that it's easier to accomplish something when you work as a team. It's hard to do it all alone.

Sami: I learned that everybody can't be the star player. There has to be a coach, a manager, someone that watches and tells you how you're doing, supporting players AND a star player. And you can't all be a star player because you'd just be scoring goals the whole time, and you'd be kind of a ball hog.

Colum: Teams have different ideas, not just one main idea. Sometimes your idea isn't as good as you think, or isn't the best. Other people's ideas can really just help the group. More ideas means better ideas.

What unique gift do you bring to a team?

Sami: Mine is verbal communication. It means I'm pretty good at talking to people. I don't really get shy that often. Teams need someone to tell them information, or if everyone was down and not feeling good, I could probably help them.

Colum: I'm kind of the brains of the group. I assess the plan, or I come up with ideas. If there's a problem, I point it out, then we modify it or throw the plan away.

Halo: For me it's patience. I feel like I have a lot of patience. When other people are getting frustrated, I am easygoing.

Dani: Mine is leadership because I think it's really important to have someone guiding the group so that everything is more under control. And like Halo said, that means being patient. And sometimes that means tapping people on the shoulder and saying "hey you have to focus". I keep everybody on task.

What about teamwork do you find challenging?

Dani: When people don't listen to you when you're trying to say something. That's frustrating!

Halo: When people don't respect what I'm saying, that can be really frustrating to me. Sometimes I have really good ideas, but people don't listen to them or will just ignore what I'm saying. When that happens, I confront them and say "I'm trying to say something." Or I just move on, because I know that I have a good idea, and if they won't listen, I'll just share it with someone else.

Colum: One challenge has been deciding on an idea because everybody just kind of wants their own idea. And even if we decide on an idea, we modify it. And that can be good, or it can be bad.

When I asked what the most valuable take away from these assignments has been, I found Dani's answer especially relevant and timely. She said,

"I've really learned about the importance of kindness in the group."

Her answer gave me pause and even a slight lump in my throat. I began this blog by saying that teamwork was hard. All of the students I talked to agreed. But none talked negatively about their experience and, most importantly, all told me that it was essential for getting things done in the world. If you are anxious today and need encouragement, look no further. These kids will run the world some day. If we can just keep it going until then, it will be in good hands.