This post was the first one I ever wanted to post on my blog, but I thought that I didn't have the right words; that I would come off as arrogant or ignorant or both and alienate any would-be readers. After all this time, I don't have any better words, so I'll just go ahead anyway.
When I was growing up, apparently I was very competitive. Then, it was the natural order of things. Now, looking back using the wisdom of age, I would describe it as "competitive" - not liking even being near the middle of the heap. So what does that have to do with the price of tea?
I was concerned that even in first grade, Lucas only received alphabetic grades indicating whether he was performing acceptably or not. At his age, I was tested every term (semester) and ranked against all the other students in my class, by subject and overall. I knew what my percentage was and I grew up thinking about who I needed "to beat" in exams. That was my measure. I wasn't competing to be the "best that I could be"; I was competing against everyone else.
Everyone successful I know is competitive, in more than just academics. I see it in their lives- community participation, dress, parenting, social interactions, and on. Are they like that because they were competitive growing up?
I am not sure when the level of self-actualization kicks in where the goal becomes to do your best. Where your competition is your own limits. I'm pretty sure that's later in life. I think my own parents might have mumbled something about just doing my best, but that usually meant being in the top 5 vs the top 3 (here is the arrogance part). Ooooh..head is beginning to hurt.
My neighbour made a comment to me that she recently took a fitness boot camp and just being with others made her want to kick her legs up just a little bit higher. How does that work in academics? Will knowing how good his performance is in relation to others help Lucas kick his legs a little higher? Would Lucas be at a disadvantage without the comparison to others? (And I know there's a rat's nest of issues surrounding being favourably and unfavourably compared to others.)
Earlier this summer Lucas took private swim classes, no other kids participated and it was almost impossible to get him to practice his kicking and arm movements. By contrast, he took a summer karate camp and he was very motivated to practice to get the next stripe on his belt. So, to get him motivated, does he need the competition or does he need visible goals? Or a bit of both? Maybe the fact that there were other kids in his class who already had some stripes motivated him to do better?
Well, I really don't know. I do know that without some explicit motivation, Lucas will choose the laziest path he can (chip off the old block). Maybe I can hedge my bets - find goals he can work towards and every now and then give him a nudge by looking around at the competition?
When I was growing up, apparently I was very competitive. Then, it was the natural order of things. Now, looking back using the wisdom of age, I would describe it as "competitive" - not liking even being near the middle of the heap. So what does that have to do with the price of tea?
I was concerned that even in first grade, Lucas only received alphabetic grades indicating whether he was performing acceptably or not. At his age, I was tested every term (semester) and ranked against all the other students in my class, by subject and overall. I knew what my percentage was and I grew up thinking about who I needed "to beat" in exams. That was my measure. I wasn't competing to be the "best that I could be"; I was competing against everyone else.
Everyone successful I know is competitive, in more than just academics. I see it in their lives- community participation, dress, parenting, social interactions, and on. Are they like that because they were competitive growing up?
I am not sure when the level of self-actualization kicks in where the goal becomes to do your best. Where your competition is your own limits. I'm pretty sure that's later in life. I think my own parents might have mumbled something about just doing my best, but that usually meant being in the top 5 vs the top 3 (here is the arrogance part). Ooooh..head is beginning to hurt.
My neighbour made a comment to me that she recently took a fitness boot camp and just being with others made her want to kick her legs up just a little bit higher. How does that work in academics? Will knowing how good his performance is in relation to others help Lucas kick his legs a little higher? Would Lucas be at a disadvantage without the comparison to others? (And I know there's a rat's nest of issues surrounding being favourably and unfavourably compared to others.)
Earlier this summer Lucas took private swim classes, no other kids participated and it was almost impossible to get him to practice his kicking and arm movements. By contrast, he took a summer karate camp and he was very motivated to practice to get the next stripe on his belt. So, to get him motivated, does he need the competition or does he need visible goals? Or a bit of both? Maybe the fact that there were other kids in his class who already had some stripes motivated him to do better?
Well, I really don't know. I do know that without some explicit motivation, Lucas will choose the laziest path he can (chip off the old block). Maybe I can hedge my bets - find goals he can work towards and every now and then give him a nudge by looking around at the competition?
Comments
Competition. A simple concept and a beneficial one. It makes us better by forcing us to work harder. Sadly, it's also an idea that is going out of style in a society where students expect to get good grades just for showing up, where everyone gets a ribbon no matter where they finish..
Read the whole article here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/27/navarrette.competition.immigration/index.html