Jewish Educational Center faculty psychologist Dr. Linda Goldmintz with Yeshiva of Elizabeth’s Rabbi David Pietruszka and Rabbi Moshe Kramer initiated a fascinating lesson in team-building by reframing what it means to win. Fourth-grade boys were divided into competing teams which had to assemble puzzles of the United States of America. The twist was that the players who joined the pieces were blindfolded and had to depend upon the directions of their teammates.

The activity was a timed exercise in trust, effective communication and attentive listening towards achieving a common goal. When time ran out the students found that two of the 50 states were actually missing, so neither team technically “won.” The lesson was that true victory and success may not be in the completion of a task but in enjoying the process and collaborative efforts in and of themselves.