The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Education experts, teacher unions and some teachers believe that competition in our public schools is bad for self-esteem and reduces equality. Competition, they argue, leads to ranking and, as edifying as that may be for those who finish on top, it is degrading for those who finish last. But some students happen to enjoy the opportunity to compete and get honest feedback about how their efforts compare to the efforts of others. For them, their self-esteem relies on competition. Thankfully, these competitive students have options outside the public school system. The Canwest CanSpell spelling bee brings in 83,000 competitors from over 900 schools. Around 100 regional science fairs take place across the country every year, with the top entrants going to a national competition. Thousands of students enter the Canadian Open Mathematics Competition, and debate associations hold competitions across the country. The number of students seeking competitive learning outside the public system indicates that the system has misjudged studentsÕ desire for competition. For those with the resources to pay fees and travel for competitions, this is not a problem. However, if public education is supposed to provide equal access to opportunities, it is clearly not covering the activities that many students prefer. Those in the education establishment who oppose a one-size-must-fit-all approach to competition are half-right; one size can never fit all. Logically, the prescription of non-competition does not fit either. Surprisingly, the establishment is able to ignore both this logical truth and the signal that participation in private competitions is sending. Just as customers of private monopolies are powerless because they cannot take their business elsewhere, students in the public education system are at the mercy of the all-powerful provider. The way forward is more parental control. Only when students and parents have more control over how their share of public education funding is spent will the needs of all students be met inside the public system. Many in the system are hostile to greater parental control but, in the end, becoming more responsive and inclusive will be essential to the systemÕs survival.
