Rocking that *International* Paradise

I have a confession to make.  I wasn’t always thrilled about the fact that I would be taking a group of students to Destination Imagination Global Finals this year.  In fact, I complained about it.  I complained that I needed to spend my time and energy helping the students prepare for the competition.  Going on the trip meant staying at school until 5pm each school night supervising practices.  It meant planning a week’s worth of sub plans and giving up control of my classroom to a stranger.  It meant I would miss the half marathon my friends were running and that I had been training for for months.  And it meant I would have to play the role of 24 hour babysitter to 4 unruly 7 th grade boys for a full week.  I knew I should be grateful for the chance to see the talent and creativity at the Global Finals, and that the school was completely funding a week in Tennessee, but I sometimes found it hard to look forward to where we were going. ...

At times this year, I really didn’t think my Destination Imagination team had a prayer of going to Global Finals in Tennessee.  And yet, on Monday, we will be boarding a plane for that exact location. Destination Imagination is an extra-curricular I volunteered to manage because of my prior experience with Odyssey of the Mind, which is a very similar organization. Both sponsor problem solving competitions which foster creative thinking and teamwork in students.  In Destination Imagination, students choose one of seven long-term challenges and spend the school year developing a creative solution to the challenge, then presenting it at tournament.  More information can be found at www.destinationimagination.org .  When I took on the role of Team Manager, I essentially promised to supervise, without offering advice or assistance, yet providing the resources the team needed and keeping them focused and on task.  My team was originally comprised of seven...