“Personally, I feel everyone should be competing against themselves, not against each other"
When I was in high school, we had a matan b’seser contest. Each class competed to bring in the most money to be secretly donated to people in need. We came up with many original ways to raise money, and since this was a contest, we proudly announced every donation to all and sundry. It made me wonder if we were really learning anything about the virtues of giving quietly.
“I think competition is terrible!” declares Mrs. Debbie Grunfeld, an 11th-grade teacher in New York. “There might be some positive results, but contests teach each girl to be busy with herself. How can you be happy with your friend’s success if your whole goal is to be the best?”
Many students, teachers, and principals agree that there are some merits to competition in schools. Competition teaches real-life lessons about winning and losing. But even those in favor add a caveat: While competition can lead to positive results, it can also create unnecessary pressure, lead to jealousy and negative feelings, and destroy self-esteem.
“Competition adds oomph to learning and extracurricular activities and gets things going,” says Gila Eichorn, a ninth grade student from Monsey. “Competition in areas outside academics can boost some girls’ confidence, especially girls that don’t do particularly well academically. But I think weaker students don’t like competition in school because they have less of a chance to shine and often give up before they even start.”
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