How Cooperation Enhances Life
by Eimy Sarduy, Junior, Ipreparatory Academy

There are probably thousands of sayings about the importance of teamwork. One of the most well known, and cliche, says that “there’s no ‘I’ in team.” What that motto does is emphasize cooperation, which essentially means working together towards a common goal. Sometimes it’s easier to work alone, but it’s also important not to forget the importance of cooperation. Luckily, in modern day society, we are constantly surrounded and placed into situations that allow us to cooperate with others.

In school environments, teachers often place us into groups to work with others. They give us an assignment and tell us to work together to complete it. In other words, they give us a common goal and encourage cooperation. Even though sometimes a group assignment can be done individually, teachers’ goals are to encourage students to work together to come up with different ideas. They also want to foster the behaviors of working in a group because sometimes it’s difficult to reach a compromise, which prepares you for your future career and relationships. 

KLA School of Hillsboro, "Encouraging Young Children to Cooperate with Others"

           
Most of us, at some point in our lives, have been part of, or at least heard of, a club or organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Red Cross, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Model UN, and the list goes on. Every one of these organizations requires cooperation because one person can’t make an impact on others, but multiple people can. Together, they accomplish myriad goals. 

​One of the results of the worldwide pandemic has forced people to cooperate. Covid-19 has managed to cause so much damage that every citizen in the United States has been required to wear a mask and respect social distancing guidelines. 

To some people, this might not seem like cooperation, but it is. Masks are proven to slow and stop the spread of disease, so that means by wearing a mask the individual is cooperating in a common goal.

​Learning and expanding one’s cooperation skills is one of the most important lessons a student can learn. Cooperation encourages people to engage in new and unique ideas and nurtures the environment for accomplishing goals (academic or otherwise), and, in some cases, cooperation can even save lives. 

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McKenzie Michael, E-International Relations, "Between Politics and Policy"

pngtree, "cooperation circle"

​Works Cited

“Freed of London Pointe Shoe Collaboration” Ballet Black https://balletblack.co.uk/freed-pointe-shoe-collaboration/
 
Zisa, Natalie. “Eight Powerful Dance Works to Come Out of the Black Lives Matter Movement.” DanceSpirit, 16, June 2020.                                            https://www.dancespirit.com/dance-works-black-lives-matter-2646184424.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1
 
Mashall, Alex. “Blackface at the Ballet Highlights a Global Divide on Race.” The New York Times, 3 Dec 2019.                                                                    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/arts/dance/blackface-ballet-bolshoi-misty-copeland.html