Cooperation means don’t cheat and be fair and be friendly and nice. My sister is mean to me sometimes, but I’m nice and I get treats for being nice to others and for being cooperative.

-Evan Goodman, second grader at Jeter Primary School

My brother cooperates with my sister. They were playing tic-tac-toe and they were cooperative. Cooperative means when you get along with someone. You can cooperate when you share with others. You can also cooperate by being nice to someone.

-D’Anthony Moore, second grader at Jeter Primary School

Cooperation means to get along with each other. In first grade, I had two friends that would not play with me, when we went to Burger King, we worked it out and cooperated with each other.

-Connor Haynes, second grader at Jeter Primary School

Cooperation means to get along with others. I cooperated on the playground with Jamell. I always play with him. I cooperate with my sister and I always play with her.

-Dev Patel, second grader at Jeter Primary

Cooperation is about working together with other people. I cooperate with my sister and my mom by getting ready when I get up in the morning. If you play football you have to cooperate with your team to win. You can cooperate in class by listening to the teacher and doing your work. Those are some examples of cooperation.

-Hunter Rider, fifth grader at Morris Avenue Intermediate School

I think cooperation is the best way to get out of trouble. Cooperation means working together for a purpose. For example, Gus and Will are working together on a math game. As you cooperate, your behavior gets better and better.

-Ryan Crawford, fifth grader at Morris Avenue Intermediate School

Cooperation means when two people work together. For example, if you have a partner working on a project with you, you are cooperating. Without cooperation nothing would be accomplished. With cooperation you can finish the job. So, that’s the meaning of cooperation.

-Jamal Spratling, fifth grader at Morris Avenue Intermediate School

To me, the true definition of cooperation is to work together. Another way of saying that is to help. If you are a kid, and come across an adult, you need to be cooperative if they tell you to do something. When you do that, you are helping yourself by listening, cooperating and not getting in trouble. You are also helping the adult by doing what he or she wanted.

-Caroline Hawkins fifth grader at Morris Avenue Intermediate School

To me, the true meaning of cooperation is to help each other, or you can say work together. My first example of cooperation is if someone was in the hall, tripped and books fell out of his or her hands. I would cooperate with the person and pick them up. My final example of cooperation is when I am at school in a group, I cooperate with my group so we can get a good grade and maybe a treat.

-Psauntia Johnson, fifth grader at Morris Avenue

Cooperation means to me when somebody tells you to do something and you do it, that’s showing cooperation. Sometime I cooperate and sometimes I don’t. When you cooperate that’s showing respect to others and getting along with others.

-Stephanie Watson, eighth grader at Opelika Learning Center

Cooperation is something that all of us will need to get around in life. If you don’t want to do what the teachers, or the principals ask you to do, you will be sitting at home. And these days education is the only thing you need to get somewhere in life. As I always say to myself when I get in trouble, I should have cooperated and did what the teacher asked me to do.

-Markivious Ware, eighth grader at Opelika Learning Center

Cooperation, to me, means following directions and doing what you are told. -Tyrecus McCurdy, seventh grader at Opelika Learning Center

Cooperation is when you do what you are told. Also when you’re on a team and want to win, you cooperate with each other. Cooperation is a big part of life. You have to listen and follow directions. You should cooperate if you want to be successful.

-Tykeonna Minnifield, seventh grader at Opelika Learning Center

Cooperation to me is a lot of things. Like you do things that a person wants you to do or you do on yourself. If you are asked to do something with a class and you do it, you cooperate with them. It’s really like participation, because you follow along with them. To me it’s like I supposed to do thing that I am suppose to do.

-Quadarious Thomas, eighth grader at Opelika Learning Center

Cooperation to me is like being respectful. If you cooperate, you would be respected. Cooperation is the key to respect and you do that by giving someone your time and respect.

-Christopher Williams, seventh grader at Opelika Learning Center

To us, cooperation means to put the needs of a group before personal ones. It means to give full, undivided attention to the group’s purpose without complaining. Cooperation is a key to group success.

-Opelika High School Trio: Kyndl Young, 12th grader, Jason Bryant, 11th grader and Adam Cobb, 12th grader