In the natural world, (and I ask rhetorically if there is any such thing as an unnatural world?), organisms struggle to compete for more or less everything. Space, resources, mates, you name it, and in this struggle for survival, lies the mechanism for change that we call evolution.
Many schools and indeed many parents think that competition is a bad thing, and increasingly, competitive sport and competition within the classroom has been eliminated in the name of equality. We bring up children without the experience of failure, and yet for many of us it is failing that teaches us. We pick a fight with someone and we lose, thus making it less likely that we will do it again. We play games and someone always has to lose, learning how to do so gracefully is an essential part of growth. We also need to learn how to win gracefully too, but because of the way that the real world works, everyone has to face competition sooner or later.
Children are brought up to think that everything that they do is wonderful and amazing, however poor or mediocre it may be. So many children are never or rarely criticised or confronted about the way they behave and the consequences for the future remain to be seen. Everything seems child centred and the idea of children behaving as adults would like them to is seen as old fashioned and inappropriate. It seems that many parents now do what the child dictates. Schools and parents no longer have adequate sanctions for dealing with bad behaviour and many have no incentives for academic success.
Successive governments tinker with the education system on idealogical grounds whilst the majority of our children flounder carelessly in a sea of trivial information that will be of no use to them whatever.
We need to think long and hard about where we are heading; the Asian world seems to be taking over in so many ways and much of their success lies in their attitudes to the young.
Many schools and indeed many parents think that competition is a bad thing, and increasingly, competitive sport and competition within the classroom has been eliminated in the name of equality. We bring up children without the experience of failure, and yet for many of us it is failing that teaches us. We pick a fight with someone and we lose, thus making it less likely that we will do it again. We play games and someone always has to lose, learning how to do so gracefully is an essential part of growth. We also need to learn how to win gracefully too, but because of the way that the real world works, everyone has to face competition sooner or later.
Children are brought up to think that everything that they do is wonderful and amazing, however poor or mediocre it may be. So many children are never or rarely criticised or confronted about the way they behave and the consequences for the future remain to be seen. Everything seems child centred and the idea of children behaving as adults would like them to is seen as old fashioned and inappropriate. It seems that many parents now do what the child dictates. Schools and parents no longer have adequate sanctions for dealing with bad behaviour and many have no incentives for academic success.
Successive governments tinker with the education system on idealogical grounds whilst the majority of our children flounder carelessly in a sea of trivial information that will be of no use to them whatever.
We need to think long and hard about where we are heading; the Asian world seems to be taking over in so many ways and much of their success lies in their attitudes to the young.
2 comments:
You are right - things are very much out of balance. My parents always just asked me to do my very best. Whatever the result, if I had given it an honest effort, they were so pleased with me. I could do one or two things very well. When I reached "1st. chair" in the orchestra violin section, they praised my achievement. I loved the recognition and tried to excel. I can guarantee you though, that when I first picked up a violin and began to play - when our Beagle pup sat at my feet and howled at the squeaky noise, my parents were not telling me how perfectly I was playing. Yet, in my heart, I knew they were pleased with my efforts. Adults have made today's children clueless.
RETA@ http://evenhaazer.blogspot.com
Yes Reta - Parents need to support and encourage their children, but the temptation is to overdo it. Schools are pretty much the same and criticism is seen as negative. I envy your musical ability. My parents gave me little encouragement with my violin lessons: I was correctly assessed as inept.
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