Cooperation or Competition?
Children and teenagers spend the majority of their time in school, this is a place in which they learn to communicate, to embrace their abilities, and to accept and correct their mistakes. This is a really important stage in their lives for learning and growth healthily.
For most humans, the prospect of outperforming peers and being successful is the primary drive in life.
Competition is everywhere today, from our own homes to schools, work and more. By competing against others and comparing with one another, we learn how to improve and gain success.
Research suggests competition can also be counterproductive in many ways. With children, competition helps to dissolve self confidence, spreading self doubt and it can encourage being dependent on external validation sources . Among adults it leads directly to hostility and greed, both being the opposite to progress and teamwork.
Usually parents and teachers think that exposing children to harsh competition from an early age can help them to prepare for competition on adulthood. However, statistics showed that encouraging cooperation increases the odds for greater and more lasting achievements among students. We believe cooperation is the route to success and we are not just saying this, studies into cooperative learning demonstrate that working in small groups toward the same goal allows children to perform better in an increasing team oriented world. 
In addition, the interaction between peers is a key to developing leadership, decision making, trust building, communication, and gaining an open mind background skills, appearance, and beliefs, that can help to eradicate bullying.
“Unity is strength, when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved”
-Mattie J.T Stepanek.
By DINA REYES AND
ISABELLA DUARTE, Step 10
