Some people argue that there is too much competition in schools which leads to harmful results on children, while others say that a competition background makes children eager to accomplish their goals. This essay agrees with the former view because schools must be a place of learning that values all children.
On the one hand, fostering competition in educational settings can be perceived as positive. When teachers instil a competitive behaviour in classes, children become aware of their peers. In other words, they are forced to assess and compare themselves with the surrounding children. By doing so, they detect not only their personal qualities that give them advantages among the others but also the shortcomings that might push them back. Hence, they realise the precise faults on their knowledge, which they will try to ameliorate so that they can top the class and become the best student. For instance, when a teacher intentionally reads out loud the results of a test to bring up competition, every child instantly compares their results to others and if they score low they will feel they need to improve which will make them study harder to achieve a better grade.
On the other hand, school is a place that must offer an education system based on even-handed values, regardless of the children’s background. Each child is unique and has its own pace of learning, which must be respected so that they will not feel unworthy. For some children, the standard method of teaching might not be suitable, which brings about the need for an individual process of learning. For those scenarios, competition is only preposterous as it will become more foe than friend, preventing the adequate child development. That is the case of children with intellectual development disorder, who need constant assistance to complete their tasks and are usally behind others in overall performance. Fostering competition in this case would prove disastrous as these children would feel incapable before the others.
In conclusion, while some say that being competitive in schools paves the way for children to succeed, I believe that it does more harm than good once teaching should be tailored for each child needs.