With the introduction of standardised testing, streaming and competitive competitions such as the Math and Physics Olympiad, schools has become increasingly competitive compared to how they were decades ago. Some people believes that schools nowadays are too competitive to the point that it negatively impacted children. Others believe that this competitive environment are important to encourage children to be high-achievers. This essays will discuss both of these views along with an opinion.
Those who believe that schools are too competitive believe that this competitive environment harms the mental health of children. They believe that when childrens’ intellectual capability is being compared and judged, it harms the way the children think about themselves. They would compare themselves with others and blame themselves. This toxic environment makes children loses their trust in their own capabilities and ultimately makes them lose their interest in studying. This is dangerous as it increases the number of high school dropouts and those children who believes that they are not good enough for schools and colleges will ultimately be more likely to join gangs and do crimes. More concerning, some children in certain culture, for example in Asian country and culture, developed mental health issues due to the extreme competitive environment at school.
On the other hand, those who believe that this competitive environment encourages children to be achievers also believe that competitive environment in schools is crucial. They believe that this kind of healthy competition between children will promote them to do their best academically in outperforming their peers. They also argue that the competitive nature that kids faces at school is a reflection of the true nature of this world. Children needs to get used to this kind of competitive atmosphere so that they will be more accustomed to it when they are in college or at their workplace in the future. This way, the children will be less succeptible to stress and mental health issues when they grow up. This kind of competitive environment is also a form of motivation for the children so that they are motivated to do their best to get straight As or be one of the top student of their class.
In my opinion, a competitive environment is very important for children to outperform themselves. In this age where colleges are becoming increasingly harder to get into, schools should implement healthy competitive environment in their school. This is important as I personally feel more motivated and will study harder when a form of competition exist between my classmates and I. However, this competitive environment should be regulated and kept to a moderate amount because some children could not handle this kind of stress. In my previous high school, one of my friends developed mental health issues and have to seek treatment due to stress. This is rather an unfortunate event.
In conclusion, school should not only create a competitive environment for children to achieve, but also make sure that it is just enough and not excessive.