Is competition harmful to children?

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Jebus
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Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Jebus »

I think the no competition among children philosophy originated in Sweden where, since many years, there has been no grading in the schools. In sports, soccer games are played without counting the goals and in the end every kid gets a medal.

I fear this is now spreading worldwide with the International Tennis Federation just announcing that there shall be no more individual competition for children aged 12 and under.

My personal feeling is that this will remove the motivation needed for both overachievers and underachievers to reach their potential, and will fail to prepare people for the failures and obstacles they will later face in life.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

No competition at all is probably going a little too far. There's certainly a case to be made against too much of it, but there's probably a sweet spot that will most benefit the most amount of children. We can't hold back entire nations from reaching their potentials based on a few kids who have trouble with any level of competition (they just need to be in special classes).

Taking away grading, on the other hand, may make a lot of sense. We want kids of be self motivated in learning; competition can be part of that, but grades probably aren't very useful.
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PsYcHo
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by PsYcHo »

I agree with Jebus that competition can motivate children to reach their potential, and by age 12 kids may have some idea of what activities they would like to pursue. For smaller children I can understand no competition sports, up to about 7 or 8 maybe.

I do think there should be some form of grading in education, but whether or not it should effect advancement in school is debatable. If used to track how well a child is performing in a subject based on certain guidelines, it could help determine what career path the child may want to take. A "failing" grade in math may mean you are more suited to creative tasks, but that should be something to learn about the child's personal strengths, and not something to hold them back for.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

PsYcHo wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:41 pm A "failing" grade in math may mean you are more suited to creative tasks, but that should be something to learn about the child's personal strengths, and not something to hold them back for.
Grading definitely makes sense as "maybe you should do this instead of that", sort of like a personality test or a career aptitude test, rather than "you have to do this and you suck at it, you fail at life" thing.
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Jamie in Chile »

I've participated in competitive sport, jumped and cheered goals scored by unknown millionaires on TV, and generally been a believer in it during my childhood adn 20s.

However more recently....I am perhaps coming around to the no competition viewpoint. it divides society into winners and losers (and tournaments and leagues generate more losers than winners), promotes cheating, war instead or peace.

Competitive sports can be seen as a outlet for no longer needed hunting and killing instincts. It doesn't really accomplish anything and competitive sport, at a professional level, tends to be associated with a lower morality than society at large (debatable).

It promotes the view of one country against another. It promotes rivalries instead of partnerships. It promotes the view of supporting your country instead of humanity at large.

Fans pour too much money and energy into something when they could be using that spare time and money better to help their family or others.

Sports stars, often just dumb barely moral youngsters, are irrationaility worshipped instead of our doctors, teachers, arthitects and so on.

When it is not good to take something too seriously, does that sometimes mean that it is overrated in general. We sometimes, implicitly, think the same way about religion. Ie it's OK as long as we don't take it too seriously (by which I mean as taking it literally or as a moral guidance rather than some vague personal spirituality). But really, if we have to not take something too seriously for it to be OK, that could mean that it's not OK full stop?

Sport is the opium of the people, as Karl Max definately never said.
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Jebus
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Jebus »

Sports fanaticism was briefly discussed here: http://philosophicalvegan.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=441&p=4301&hilit=sports#p4301
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Jamie in Chile
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Jamie in Chile »

The other thread is similar to my thoughts. I thought about this a little more - particularly on the angle of teaching children in schools.

It might be a good idea to have the children play competitive sport in the first semester, non-competitive sport in the second semester, and then at the end of the second semester they are taught a class on this very issue, then get to debate it and vote it, then in the third semester they all play whatever the vote was (or alternatively split into two groups).
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Ambrosio »

Sweden still uses grades - in fact, in recent years, grades have been implemented earlier than before. My 11 year-old brother who still lives in Sweden is currently struggling with this so I don't know where that misinformation comes from! Whether they count goals, give every kid a medal etc. probably differs from school to school.

As for whether I think competition is good: sure, in moderation. Competition is currently, and probably always will be, to some extent, inescapable, and it would be a huge disservice to children if we don't prepare them for this fact. They'll compete to get into High School, then possibly University if they go down that route. Either way they will eventually have to compete for jobs. On the other hand, fostering too much of a competitive attitude in kids is not something I believe is healthy. I lived in Hong Kong for a year where there is immense pressure on children from a very young age. Studies show their mental health is generally very poor compared to students in less competitive educational systems and there are many suicides every year in shockingly young children attributed to the pressure of having to compete to this extreme extent.
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Jebus
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Re: Is competition harmful to children?

Post by Jebus »

Ambrosio wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 6:14 pm Sweden still uses grades - in fact, in recent years, grades have been implemented earlier than before. My 11 year-old brother who still lives in Sweden is currently struggling with this so I don't know where that misinformation comes from!
Until 2011, grades were not given until the 8th school year. Since then grading begins in grade 6.
Ambrosio wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 6:14 pmWhether they count goals, give every kid a medal etc. probably differs from school to school.
Soccer and other sports competition in Sweden is not organized by schools, as in the U.S. It is played in clubs after school and these clubs are governed by national federations. The soccer federation is called SvFF and last year they determined that there shall no longer be a winner or loser until the age of 13. The same decision was made by STF (the Swedish Tennis Federation). I'm assuming the same applies to ice-hockey and other sports as well.
How to become vegan in 4.5 hours:
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Congratulations, unless you are a complete idiot you are now a vegan.
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