I’m feeling a tad bit tired this morning. I don’t usually stay up past 10 o’clock, and last night, even though our North Carolina Panthers, were losing, I couldn’t give up on the Super Bowl. This morning, my tangled hair is clasped firmly behind my head and my beverage of choice—since I don’t drink coffee—is an ice-cold Mountain Dew!
Last night, I was reminded that winning is euphoric; losing is heartbreaking. But heck, that’s what competition is, right? Someone wins, and someone doesn’t. Competition is often highly debated in education circles. Is competition healthy for kids? Does competition enhance the learning process? I found this article, “Why Competition Can Be Healthly for Kids,” very informative. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you believe competition has a place in the classroom?
The caffeine is working…
Diane
I think we compete for so much in life that it is good for children to learn you win some and you
Lose some. But I also think when children are young we as educators need to keep our eyes open for kids who are not great spellers or good at sports etc. we need to help children find what they can be the best at and let them compete there. Everyone is born with a gift as educators let’s help them find it. Just because you can’t win at running perhaps you can win the science fair
Very well said, Darlene. Thanks for sharing!
Every Friday, we play a vocabulary game in my class using words from our letter of the week. The kids L-O-V-E it. I split the class into 2 teams, and the team leader gets to pick a team name. I give a description of the vocabulary word I’m looking for, and the first person to “slap” the word gets a point for his/her team. (I use fly swatters that look like hands.) The winning team gets stickers for their learning charts. Yes, I have some students who are bummed if their team does not win, but I explain that we both win and lose in life. We cannot win everything. But overall, the students have a great time and this game really helps learning vocabulary. 🙂
What a great idea, Ruth! Thanks for sharing.