Competition Crisis
Nov 15th, 2007 by nicolek08
Is competition a characteristic of good leadership? Do we need to constantly look over our shoulders worrying about competitors rising above us? Do we need to be better than other people?
Well, Don Ledingham talks about this in his blog titled: “Competition - a dirty word in education?”. In a conference he attended (AHDS), Jim Reid talked about competition - how it is the “key characteristic of good leadership.”
Jim also stressed the importance of us being competitors in a global environment and the fact we need to take account of what our “competitors” are doing in relation to their education systems.
Yet I understood what he was getting at - if we want to be good (or “excellent” in education) then we must refer to how others do. As much as we might like to disagree, quality is not criterion referenced - what was excellent ten years ago would not be excellent now - our competitors have moved on - we do get measured against others , i.e. norm referenced.
Perhaps if we were really honest with ourselves we might admit to some competitive instinct - albeit only in whispers, and then again only in an empty room.
So, is competition such a bad thing? Is it in fact a “dirty word in education,” or is it a catalyst to enhance “students” into shoving more information in their brains than their peers next door?
I want to say competition is the dirty word in the dictionary of education. But, the truth is, the world we live in encourages so much competition to begin with. The grades we are given is there to show how much better or worse off we are compared to our fellow “students.” College admissions is competition; we are measured, compared, with other 18-19 year olds by SAT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, essays…
It’s the sad truth, but, this is a life long race where we have to win to be successful. Just when did this all become a win-lose game? Even if we may think competition is not something education should be encouraging, how are we suppose to not be competitive, when we’re crushed instantly when we stop being competitive?
But then again, we are always told that competition triggers us to improve - to do better, and I think that’s pretty self-explanatory since we’ve all been there - and we’re still competition’s prisoners.
Competition: Is it something shading us from seeing what’s really important and concentrating only to be the “best,” or is it something that helps us to reach that “success”? I guess it’s Darwinism all over again in education.
Photo credits to Daveybot & red betty black on flickr
Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, kisaplit, competition, education
You ask good questions in this well-written post, and I really like the way you’ve been pursuing the education theme over several posts on these pages.
(What’s really interesting to me is how much more I enjoy reading your real writing over your homework and class essays. It’s fascinating.)
I want to invite you to join the contributors of the new student edublog I’m starting - “Students 2.0″ - in a Skype conference call this weekend. You’ve quickly earned a place with them recently. See me at school or go to this planning wiki to add your available times and learn more. Students from the UK, several American cities, and Seoul are already involved, and there’s growing buzz about this in the blogosphere. It’s a good opportunity for you.
Thanks for stepping up. This is a good blog.
[…] JoonPyo’s post (good, but not connective at all, so nobody will find it in the real world), Nicole’s post 1 and post 2 (both good AND connective - Nicole seems to “get it” more than most […]
This is really interesting.
I think I’ve felt a more academically competitive spirit here in Korea than when I was living in CA. It was highly competitive, but just because there were more competitors; Korean students seem to have a more demanding and ambitious attitude.
As a runner as well, I see it both ways too, how it can both help and hurt you. But I think it’s best when one is competitive with him/herself and pushing yourself to do better, rather than comparing with others.
Steve Prefontaine, a famous runner, has always been a hero of mine, because he has used his competitiveness to achieve his best.
“A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.” -Prefontaine
tarab com
Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts !