Competition vs Cooperation

 

 

I do agree that cooperation should be emphasized more than competition but I do not agree that it is better than competition. To me, better means that something is more superior to others. Like if something is better than something else it should be emphasized more than things that are considered not as good.  I definitely do agree that children at a young age should learn how to work together with one another in order to achieve a common goal, and be rewarded once they have achieved that goal by working with others. However, I think some degree of competition is acceptable while working with children as long as it is integrated at the right time and monitored closely by the educator. The educator needs to make sure that the major emphasis is not only on the competition aspect itself of who comes in first, second, third or last, but the aspect of working together with others in order to succeed is the real goal.

So, yes I think there can be a healthy balance between cooperation and competition as long as it is monitored right by an educator who knows which should be emphasized more and when competition should be introduced. The educator needs to be able to identify, that it can be great when someone comes in first, but it can be even more of an achievement when someone helps another person succeed in activity, even if they do come in last.

In some ways, competition can increase self esteem but I can also agree that it can decrease self esteem as well. That is why there needs to be an incorporation of more friendly competitions. More competitions are needed, where the main goal is to not come in first, but to have the enjoyment of playing against others in a friendly atmosphere; where the main goal is fun and being with others, not who comes in first or last.

 

Like most things in life, I do agree there is a time and a place for competition. Take an elementary track meet for example, or a high school basketball tournament. Having competitions like these allows for children to set goals of their own and work towards trying achieving those goals later on in their lives. If children have had healthy competitions in the past where the major emphasis is not only winning, competitions throughout the rest of their childhood and teen years can actually be a positive experience for them rather than a negative one.