Competition Can Motivate, Encourage and Inspire Students. But It Can Also Harm Them.
Competition is a crucial aspect of our society. It exists in nature and it’s a cornerstone of our financial system, however there’s an absence of consensus amongst psychologists as to whether competitiveness is learned or if it’s instinctual and part of human nature. Some argue that competitiveness is a trait, whereas others consider it’s a mixture of genetic and environmental components. Either manner, the truth is that competitiveness begins early and competitors reveals up in some ways in colleges.
As an elementary college pupil, I keep in mind sitting “criss cross applesauce” amongst my friends throughout the end-of-the-quarter awards ceremonies, hoping my title can be known as. When I used to be deemed a “winner” for good conduct or educational achievement, I’d hear my nana’s cheer. “You always made me proud,” my grandmother ceaselessly jogs my memory in the present day.
Reflecting again, what made these moments highly effective for my nana was that I used to be chosen out of dozens of my friends — that these trophies and certificates made me particular. In my college, the award ceremonies started in first grade, and after I acquired my first one, I wished extra. Even at seven years outdated, it grew to become an expectation I positioned on myself.
On the uncommon event, when my title was not known as or once I had solely been awarded for conduct and not lecturers, I felt a cloud of disgrace type above me and guilt would rain down. “Was I not smart enough this quarter?” I puzzled. “Did I do something wrong?” Worst of all was the thought that I had wasted my nana’s time since she had taken off work to be there. That was too laborious to bear. Every quarter, I strived to get a type of trophies simply to listen to my household cheer. The trophies nonetheless sit in my nana’s lounge practically 25 years later.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines competition as “any performance situation structured in such a way that success depends on performing better than others.” Naturally, this might create challenges in a faculty setting, however in my expertise, whether or not innate or as a product of a construction, competitors itself isn’t at all times problematic. In truth, some research verify that competition has benefits, although they range primarily based on the person and the competitors.
Personally, I’ve at all times loved competitors. In center college, I participated in Future City, a STEM competitors for center schoolers. The strain and collaboration taught me the great thing about teamwork. In highschool, I competed in statewide competitions with the Business Professionals of America, a pupil group targeted on profession and management growth, via which I discovered find out how to obtain suggestions and find out how to lose with grace and preserve satisfaction.
Competition will be thrilling and motivating to those that select to interact. But it’s necessary to keep in mind that competitors just isn’t a golden key to unlock pupil engagement. Depending on how we use it, competitors can even trigger hurt, reminiscent of nervousness, low vanity or unfavorable emotions of self-worth.
Teaching as I Was Taught
During my first yr of educating, I taught a category of 27 second graders and nearly all of concepts I carried out in my classroom got here from my very own experiences as a pupil. I figured that what gave me pleasure in elementary college would do the identical for my college students. Influenced by my very own experiences and the philosophy of my college, competitors grew to become a staple in our classroom tradition.
When I handed again quizzes and checks, I gave college students who scored an 80 % or increased stickers and positioned their checks on our “Show What You Know” bulletin board. At the top of the month, my co-teachers and I gave out student-of-the-month superlatives and character awards. Sometimes, we even created competitions on the fly. When homework was hardly being turned in, we created a “homework award,” and college students have been invited to an ice cream social in the event that they turned of their homework on time for the whole week. Of course, it was full circle once I stood on the podium and awarded my very own college students their trophies for educational achievement and good conduct as their members of the family sat beaming within the viewers.
Our antics produced combined outcomes. When a brand new competitors was launched, college students have been enthusiastic about our receiving prizes and being honored publicly. But many expressed that they felt disgrace once they couldn’t meet expectations. I recall one pupil who couldn’t full his homework as a result of his mother labored nights and his siblings have been tasked with guaranteeing the family survived till she bought off work. Another pupil cried once they didn’t get stickers on their take a look at, regardless that they tried their finest. For each pupil who was celebrated, there was one other pupil who, by design, was shamed.
Looking again, these competitions weren’t used to show college students sportsmanship or resilience. They have been used as gimmicks and antics to “motivate” college students. I now acknowledge that I performed an element in reinforcing a system of inequity by awarding these college students who have been already privileged.
Currently, I educate sixth grade English on the Roeper School, which is the oldest impartial college for presented college students within the nation — and competitors strays from our philosophy. We describe our pupil physique as intense, precocious and passionate. Our founders, George and Annamarie Roeper, who got here to Detroit fleeing the oppressive Nazi regime, have been believers in humanistic training principle. They believed that college students’ motivation ought to come from inside. So, philosophically, as a faculty, we veer from the usage of school-wide competitions.
In our constructing, which serves college students in grades 6-12, there are not any honor societies, no student-of-the-month certificates, no citizenship awards and there is no such thing as a public recognition for educational achievement. Instead, it’s anticipated that each one college students are reaching academically and personally in their very own proper. But even in taking what we consider to be a progressive stance on the problem, disposing of school-wide competitions has not deterred college students from evaluating themselves to 1 one other or placing strain on themselves to attempt for perfection.
Even in our faculty, when assignments are handed again in school, college students nonetheless rush to ask their classmates, “What did you get?” A rush of feelings shuffles via the group. Sighs of disappointment, cheers of pleasure, deep breaths in aid. As a center college dean, lots of my college students have spoken to me about perfectionism and their inclination to compete with themselves. I’ve seen college students battle with high-stakes assessments that search to outline their personhood, their intelligence and their talents. These sorts of experiences breed perfectionism and trigger unhealthy ranges of strain, particularly for our pupil inhabitants.
After working in colleges the place college students publicly compete for trophies and awards, in addition to in a faculty that overtly opposes such constructions, I’ve discovered that the issue exists in each. Even with out the pomp and circumstance, competitors stays and college students should handle emotions of disgrace and judgment.
In a society that’s rooted in on the spot gratification and the place competitors is constantly inspired politically, economically and socially, the implications of competitors between younger folks feels inevitable. But we will be considerate concerning the instruments we use to encourage college students and how we help them in navigating their feelings.
Finding a New Path
Recognizing that my college performs a task in serving to college students interact in competitors in wholesome methods has prompted me to vary my method. To begin, I’ve been contemplating find out how to create considerate, delicate approaches for utilizing competitors — and to help college students when the strain turns into an excessive amount of.
As I take into consideration how and when to convey competitors into apply, listed below are a number of questions I’ve been asking myself:
- What is the aim and intention of competitors in my classroom?
- Will competitors add to this studying expertise for my college students?
- How can I arrange guidelines, processes, teaching and supportive methods which can be centered in equity and accessibility?
- How can I rejoice each pupil for his or her effort with out making each pupil a winner?
- How can winners be introduced with out selling disgrace for individuals who don’t win?
- What is the reflection course of for college kids after the competitors is over?
To put a few of these inquiries to the take a look at, I created a low-stakes experiment — one thing extra playful.
Halloween is an enormous deal at my college. Everyone within the constructing clothes up, there’s an annual costume contest and manner too many sweets floating across the constructing. This yr, I wished so as to add somewhat extra aptitude. My intention was to experiment with wholesome competitors and decide how I may encourage college students whereas eliminating disgrace.
Capitalizing on my college students’ love for Halloween and how large it’s at our faculty, I launched a spooky brief story contest. After getting constructive suggestions from college leaders, college students and our pupil authorities leaders, I created the foundations, chosen 10 horror influencers and writers as judges and pitched it to the whole center college, emphasizing that it was non-compulsory.
I shared the foundations early to advertise transparency and created an non-compulsory writing workshop for individuals who wished suggestions and tips about submitting their scariest story to degree the taking part in area. During the writing workshop, along with studying writing strategies, we talked about confidence, celebrated each other and exchanged ideas. In the top, I acquired over 20 brief tales and the judges chosen three winners, who have been introduced at our annual college costume contest. All college students who submitted a narrative have been invited to a pizza get together to heart pleasure, rejoice the trouble they put into their story and to debate what they discovered.
After experimenting with a number of new practices, I understand my aim isn’t to eliminate competitors altogether. It is to refine the methods I intrinsically encourage my college students. I don’t consider the reply is making each baby a winner, however no baby must be made to really feel disgrace. We must create situations in colleges in order that kids don’t drown in their very own perfectionism due to the high-stakes constructions we create for them. If competitors is a part of the answer, then it’s my accountability as an educator, to find out the perfect methods to help college students via their very own aggressive nature, whereas additionally creating wholesome competitions in school that promote collaboration, compassion and creativity.
