Chapters 19 & 20: How Do You Do?

19. Try Not to Do Things to Others That You Would Not Like Them to Do to You.

20. Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You.

Game: How do you do?

MATERIALS: A shuffled standard deck of playing cards.

Get the class on its feet and explain to them you are going to do a game about the importance of how we treat one another.

Make sure they understand that Ace is highest and 2 is lowest.

Tell them not to give away what they are about to see.

All they can say in this game is “How do you do?” and they can shake hands. Nothing else, no other words.

Without them seeing it, place a card with the face out on their foreheads. Each participant will have a different card. Have them place the forefinger of their left hand to hold the cards to their foreheads.

Tell them that without saying anything but the above they are to circulate, as at a party, and shake hands. They are to find out how high or low they are by the way that OTHERS treat them.

Let them go for awhile and then ask them to line up in one long, wide line facing you with highest on one end and lowest on the other. Tell them to put themselves where they think they belong based on what they see in the other cards, not on where someone may be telling them to place themselves.

They may not be good at it on the first try, but they may well be very good at it.

Have them do it all again curbing talking, etc.

Point out how we are very sharp about noticing how we are treated and how it affects things we call “self esteem,” “confidence,” etc. Have them note the wide range of way people treat one another.

VARIANTS:

Do the same game with only the high cards Jacks – Aces… This creates a “high class” group.

Do the same with only the low cards. This creates a “low class” group.

But in either case, they will still figure out their relative position because they will be treated in a specific way relative to that group.

You can also add the Joker at some point and they will not know how to treat that person. The person, in determining their position at the end could end up high, low, middle or even say they don’t belong anywhere.

CONCLUSION: have them note how we are very alert to the shifts in how we are treated and how we can change the way we treat others to make them feel better and stronger.