thedrifter
12-25-06, 12:05 PM
Local
The spirit of giving gets the competitive edge
Erica Jacobs, The Examiner
Dec 25, 2006 3:00 AM
WASHINGTON - High schools sponsor charity campaigns all year long, but the activity reaches frenzied heights during the holidays. This past month at Oakton High School, there was a canned food drive, sponsorship of a family in need, and Toys for Tots.
Toys for Tots is a 59-year-old campaign by the U.S. Marines designed to give children in poverty toys for Christmas. Last year Oakton donated 53 toys to the effort.
I don’t teach a class in the period designated for all charity drives, but Eliot Waxman has a comparative religions class that meets in our classroom. It was fascinating to hear his class debate whether to become involved.
“I think we should forget about the other charity efforts and focus on Toys for Tots. The class that collects the most toys wins a pizza party.”
“This isn’t about pizza, it’s about giving toys to underprivileged children.”
“Yes, but it would be fun to give toys to underprivileged children, AND get a pizza party.”
“Hear, hear.”
“Why are we debating this? Those who want to bring in toys should do it, and those who don’t shouldn’t have to. This is a waste of time. Let’s stop talking and start collecting.”
The debate continued for about 30 minutes, and ended when Eliot decided to take a heads-down vote of students interested in collecting toys. Most of the class raised their hands.
The plot thickened when they learned that many teachers were giving extra credit to students who brought in donations. Eliot was not willing to do that, believing that grades and charity don’t mix.
As the collection proceeded, we got daily e-mails with the toy count. Eliot’s class was No. 2 after the first count, but in the next three days overtook the No. 1 classroom by a considerable number. The religion class was feeling pretty good about bringing in toys without the added incentive of extra credit. Even though they were doing “good works,” that didn’t mean they didn’t want to win.
On the last day of the toy drive, rumors were rife:
“One mother of a student from another class is giving her entire collection of Beanie Babies.”
“One person is bringing in 100 toys from the Dollar Store.”
“I hear we’re going to lose.”
At least one of those rumors was true: Eliot’s religion class lost — No. 2 with 132 toys. The winning class had a burst of activity at the last minute with a donation of 108 toys, bringing them to 167 — none of them Beanie Babies.
Of course Eliot’s class is disappointed that they “lost,” but he plans to organize a party anyway, in celebration of their collective efforts. The “winners,” obviously, are the children who next year will receive 603 toys from Oakton High School, among the millions collected by the Marines.
Last year’s total of 53 was multiplied by 12 this year, with the competition fueling students’ giving in a paradoxical mixture of self-promotion and altruism. We usually think of competition as self-serving, but when gift-giving becomes competitive, it also can serve missions of compassion.
Erica Jacobs teaches at Oakton High School and George Mason University. E-mail ejacob1@gmu.edu.
Ellie
The spirit of giving gets the competitive edge
Erica Jacobs, The Examiner
Dec 25, 2006 3:00 AM
WASHINGTON - High schools sponsor charity campaigns all year long, but the activity reaches frenzied heights during the holidays. This past month at Oakton High School, there was a canned food drive, sponsorship of a family in need, and Toys for Tots.
Toys for Tots is a 59-year-old campaign by the U.S. Marines designed to give children in poverty toys for Christmas. Last year Oakton donated 53 toys to the effort.
I don’t teach a class in the period designated for all charity drives, but Eliot Waxman has a comparative religions class that meets in our classroom. It was fascinating to hear his class debate whether to become involved.
“I think we should forget about the other charity efforts and focus on Toys for Tots. The class that collects the most toys wins a pizza party.”
“This isn’t about pizza, it’s about giving toys to underprivileged children.”
“Yes, but it would be fun to give toys to underprivileged children, AND get a pizza party.”
“Hear, hear.”
“Why are we debating this? Those who want to bring in toys should do it, and those who don’t shouldn’t have to. This is a waste of time. Let’s stop talking and start collecting.”
The debate continued for about 30 minutes, and ended when Eliot decided to take a heads-down vote of students interested in collecting toys. Most of the class raised their hands.
The plot thickened when they learned that many teachers were giving extra credit to students who brought in donations. Eliot was not willing to do that, believing that grades and charity don’t mix.
As the collection proceeded, we got daily e-mails with the toy count. Eliot’s class was No. 2 after the first count, but in the next three days overtook the No. 1 classroom by a considerable number. The religion class was feeling pretty good about bringing in toys without the added incentive of extra credit. Even though they were doing “good works,” that didn’t mean they didn’t want to win.
On the last day of the toy drive, rumors were rife:
“One mother of a student from another class is giving her entire collection of Beanie Babies.”
“One person is bringing in 100 toys from the Dollar Store.”
“I hear we’re going to lose.”
At least one of those rumors was true: Eliot’s religion class lost — No. 2 with 132 toys. The winning class had a burst of activity at the last minute with a donation of 108 toys, bringing them to 167 — none of them Beanie Babies.
Of course Eliot’s class is disappointed that they “lost,” but he plans to organize a party anyway, in celebration of their collective efforts. The “winners,” obviously, are the children who next year will receive 603 toys from Oakton High School, among the millions collected by the Marines.
Last year’s total of 53 was multiplied by 12 this year, with the competition fueling students’ giving in a paradoxical mixture of self-promotion and altruism. We usually think of competition as self-serving, but when gift-giving becomes competitive, it also can serve missions of compassion.
Erica Jacobs teaches at Oakton High School and George Mason University. E-mail ejacob1@gmu.edu.
Ellie