An interesting blog here regarding competition in schools. I’m of the opinion that children should be rewarded for something done well or for winning a race. No child can be good at everything, and even if children are not good at running (I was hopeless at this as a kid), they might be academic and can win merits for good work. Even if they’re not academic, they can be rewarded for good behaviour. Everybody reacts well to praise.
When I’ve visited my grandchildren’s schools for Sports Day, I do not agree with all children receiving a medal even if they’ve come in last in a race. Winners should be rewarded, and perhaps kids who are not good at running are good at something else they can be given merit for. They have to learn that you cannot always win in life.
Competition has always been something in schools and also in life. From a young age children are exposed to the idea that it’s good and even healthy to have a little competition in their daily lives. Schools encourage competition through sports, contests at schools, and pitting kids against each other to see who will get the best exam results or the most stars at the end of the term. Competitiveness is something that is always encouraged by governments and many people as being good for self-esteem and an important thing to get used to as competition exists in the workplace. But is it really such a good idea to have competition at schools and what happens if some kids never get to the top of the class?
How competition starts in schools
I grew up in the UK state education system. I went to an average primary school and an…
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Stevie Turner 
Nice post. Reblogged it in Englishtutorialedu.com.
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Thank you!
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Of course I agree! Oh, and, I sucked at running too! Lol, go figure! 🙂 x
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Lol. I was terrible at it, but funnily enough I took up jogging in middle age and enjoyed it.
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I’m much happier on a treadmill 🙂
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I like to be out in the open air, although I walk more than run now as the knees prefer it!
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🙂
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“I do not agree with all children receiving a medal even if they’ve come in last in a race.” Everyone’s a winner and “collabortive work” is, (expletive deleted) in my opinion. My daughter’s generation got a taste of that, here’s your trophy for participation. Screw that. I am always reminded of a TV news clip where the reporter is in some smaller Texas town – the scandal is a senior girl who won’t be allowed to process at graduation. Her mother is indignant – “I doan know whut’s wrong, she went ever’ day.” There has to be more to it than showing up, but according to my wife the professor that’s the mentality of a lot of students – I paid my tuition, I showed up, where’s my grade? Competition is why great musicians and thinkers and scientists and athletes are great. Otherwise I’d be getting 15 million a year to show up in a football uniform and be of no assistance whatsoever.
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Perhaps it’s something to do with litigation, where little Johnny goes home in tears because he didn’t get a medal. Little Johnny’s mother then sues the school for hurt feelings and breach of human rights!
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I recently revised my opinion on participation awards. If we tell children that “winning” at a thing matters more than doing the thing in the first place, we run the enormous risk that if they’re not perfect at something immediately they may as well quit.
Doing a given thing matters more than winning. Participation and effort should be rewarded in some fashion, even if it isn’t the “big trophy.”
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Good point.
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Attaboy/girl and a gold star for showing up, okay. Make sure everybody sees what it takes to get the big trophy because quitters never get anything done. My dad would have had my hide for quitting and not aspiring, even if if somebody else got the trophy.
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Yes, the ones who put the hard work in and achieve something should get the rewards.
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Great post. I feel the same too. The world is full of competition kids in school shouldn’t be shown that the world outside this school is Lala land When it’s not. But if they participate in something they should at least receive a certificate to encourage them to participate more. When I participated in my school’s speech competition, all children who said the speech got certificates with a fountain pen but the winner got trophy and cash. That’s a good way to promote competition and encourage children. Great reblog Stevie.
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Thanks Suzan. Yes, talent should be encouraged and rewarded. Everyone is good at something, but we can’t all be good at everything.
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You’re welcome. Its good to see that you support such important topics.🙂✌
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