Competition is a constant presence in today’s schools, where students not only compete with one another in their academic results but also in sports and in various extracurricular activities. Competition is quite controversial; however, in my opinion, competition is usually beneficial to students.
When someone wins a competition, someone must lose. However, it is both healthy and beneficial for both sides, and this is a “win-win situation”. While students are preparing for a “competition”, they try their best and avoid being lazy because they don’t want to lose to their rival. They will not give up easily either! When they face difficulties while preparing, they will consider various solutions first instead of just giving up. Competition also inspires students to push themselves. For example, if someone is participating in a sports competition, he / she may break his / her own records because he / she doesn’t want others to be the champion. Without competitions, students won’t have the pressure needed to motivate themselves. In short, competitions create motivation and pressure to inspire them to improve and to try their best.
For the people who win a competition, they can gain confidence and have a positive experience. They can know that the method they used is effective. For the people who lose a competition, they actually gain the most. First, they gain negative experiences and can clearly learn the mistakes or shortcomings of them. They can make improvements according to these negative experiences. Secondly, they can learn how to face failure. It is beneficial for them to learn how to face it at school instead of at work, because they still have opportunities and time. Moreover, it can inspire them to work harder next time.
Some hold the diametrically opposed view that competitions will make students feel too pressured. I do not agree with that because that is what they must learn —skills to cope with pressure and challenges. That’s what they will have to face in the future, and they must gain experiences so that they can handle it later in life! Additionally, parents and teachers should also guide them.
In conclusion, I strongly encourage competitions at school. What students need is suitable amounts of pressure to make them motivated and learn how to make improvements! As long as the pressure is not too much, competition is surely a positive and necessary method for students on their path of learning.