By Jill W.
During the whole third session of after school, my students in Retro Gaming were looking forward to the last class of the session. That day was the only day they asked about, and they asked every single week if that day was finally here. See, on the first day of our class, I had promised them that they would be able to try out some retro games on my old Nintendo 64, and they could not wait to try it out.
The class was centered around the idea of bringing together different grade levels to work in teams and try out a shared activity - in this case, old video games. We focused on pairing up students with compatible counterparts who were a very different age than themselves, and the pair would share a computer and play old, non-violent video games. This focus on fun digital activities that do not involve fighting, shooting, or exploding, and mixing the age groups would result, we hoped, in improved community atmosphere, improved social skills, and improved confidence among students.
Our final day of retro gaming came along, and I definitely brought in the N64 as well as a Nintendo Wii. The kids LOVED it! They paired up with their partners to lobby with me to let them go first on the game consoles. They picked out sweet games to play on the laptops while they waited for their turns, and they did and excellent job managing their time and sharing the games when we only had one controller for the N64. I was so proud of their progress from shy, resistant students who only talked quietly and politely to eachother when they had to, to a group of friends who communicated actual ideas, encouraged eachother when they failed, and applauded eachother when they succeeded. The kids earned their Nintendo day, and I was glad that I could reward them for their hard work.
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