School competition

My friend commented on the competitive nature of school, she said that "competition was a good thing as this was what it was like in the real world." She also reminded me that I have put my daughter into the most competitive field out there, acting. I have to say I agree, but is it right to have this competition at school, if we do what we’ve always done we will always get what we’ve always got! Isn’t it time for a change. Maybe the competition does not need to start at such a young age. I am playing devils advocate as I think competition is healthy and I am the first one on the side of the sports day line shouting for my daughter to win. The best competitive experience we have had was when we entered a drama festival, Isabella learnt in the space of one hour that you only get one go at her section, you don’t always win and you need to realise that some people are better at certain things than you.

By homeschooling Isabella am I removing the knowledge of where Isabella fits within the class ranking. At the moment Isabella will always be good at things because there are no children to compare her to. When is it healthy that activities stop being fun and start becoming competitive.? I really am not sure. A last thought, is it the parents that make everything competitive and not the children?