Is competition always healthy?

During our opening faculty meetings this past week we were fortunate to have Ashley Merryman speak to our school community about a few current hot educational topics, including the role of competition, resilience, and establishing “agency” with our students. I had read and enjoyed Merryman’s novel, Nurture Shock, over the summer so I was excited to hear more about the thought-provoking topics addressed in the text. These are summary points about Merryman’s remarks, in regards particularly to competition, and how I see them influencing my teaching.

If you ask your average college prep school teacher what he or she thinks of competition, you will probably hear a range of comments. Competition is part of our society; there is no denying that. Getting kids into good universities is more and more challenging, and for our school families the level of competition is scary. Thus, our students who develop a HEALTHY sense of competition are going to be better off. We, as their teachers, need to foster that competitive edge, but Merryman reminds us of a couple of important points to keep in mind in regards to competition.

Kids must feel like they “are in the race”. In other words, the course curriculum must gently push each student. The weaker kids cannot feel like they do not have a chance because the material is too hard, and the rock star students cannot feel under challenged. In both situations, the students will not reach their potential. This was not a surprising revelation to us, but lingering in our minds are a two important questions. Are we seeing overly dangerous competition among our kids, and is the competitive nature of college acceptance pushing our kids to the brink?

Adaptive competitiveness and maladaptive competitiveness

Merryman referred frequently to these two terms, using the examples of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, two of the most popular and accomplished swimmers of all time, and Lance Armstrong, a highly controversial cyclist who recently had his 7 Tour de France titles stripped away after he confessed to doping. The professional relationship that Phelps and Lochte share is indicative of the kind of competitive spirit that would produce very positive outcomes for our students. Phelps and Lochte have both held numerous world records, and they often finish first and second in the races where they both compete. In a recent championship event in California, Phelps was favored to take home many medals, especially because Lochte had been going through rehabilitation after an injury to his knee, and he was not expected to compete. Fortunately for Lochte, he made such quick progress with the PT that he was able to enter the competition at the last moment. Reporters immediately descended on Phelps to ask him his thoughts. The expectation was that Phelps might publicly wish Lochte well, but privately he might harbor some disappointment to now have to swim against his archrival. Phelps answer to reporters highlights a significant attribute of competition. In a very genuine manner, Phelps said that he was thrilled to have Lochte swim against him because he always “brings out the best” in him. The close competition between these two incredible athletes brings out the best in them.

I have seen this countless times, both in my classroom and in the swimming pool with my water polo teams. Improvement often takes place when a student observes successful behavior by his peers, AND he or she feels that similar success is within grasp. It is my job to monitor their self-perceptions and to create learning situations that put the kids in positions of success. When I coach water polo, I am always thrilled when my athletes boost their level of competiveness when playing a higher skilled team. Their focus, team play, and willingness to sacrifice physically are all boosted when facing the right level of competition. On the other hand, as a coach I have also been frustrated to watch lackluster and disappointing game play when we are matched with a less skilled opponent. Coaches call it “playing down” to the level of the team. I want to create scenarios in the classroom that promote the right level of competition.

So what is the wrong way to view competition? We can look at Lance Armstrong as a classic example of a maladaptive competitor. I have been a passionate fan of cycling for over 25 years, and I will admit to supporting Armstrong for much of his career. His interview with Oprah Winfrey was difficult to watch, and according to Ashley Merryman, the most frustrating comment by Armstrong was when he said that he would have won all those titles without the doping. In his mind, he was clearly so far better than the competition that he felt a sense of entitlement to the victories. To draw a comparison to my classroom, I do have my share of students who are unable to view themselves honestly, and who do not understand how I can ever judge their work as anything less than an A. They have been conditioned to have an inflated sense of confidence, and to them competition is only about the final prize. These students present their own set of challenges for me as a teacher, even though they are situated on the opposite end of the spectrum from the underachievers or low skilled students.

If positive competition entails bring out the best in yourself and in your classmates, then it is important to foster collaboration and mutual support among peers. Group work and frequent self-evaluations that ask of students how they are able to facilitate comprehension among teammates is useful to engender a healthy competitive spirit. It is also critical that teachers help students understand for themselves that there is great satisfaction achieved on the journey to any given end. We can so easily get caught up in the final numbers — exam scores, SAT stats, GPA’s, etc. Empowering kids with metacognitive awareness, relieving their fear of mistakes, and showing them how to establish proper goals are all ways of creating an environment where our students remain “in the race” and appreciate each stage of the learning process, regardless of final outcome.

Suffice it to say that Merryman’s talk, and both her books, Nurture Shock and Top Dog, are full of thought-provoking ideas for educators and parents alike. It is on my list to revisit what I learned in Nurture Shock and present my thoughts on goal setting and motivation in a future blog post. In the meantime, go grab one of Merryman’s books and see if she sufficiently challenges your own views on kids. Happy reading!