>> Think about it. In a competition, you win by making somebody else lose.
>
> Of course, the real world is competitive. What you have done, by denying
> the existence of competition is sent someone into society who is
> ill-prepared to deal with that society.

I think anybody who takes it to the extreme of /denying/ that life is 
competitive sometimes is, at best, misguided.

In my humble opinion, the society I see around me is too competitive. 
There's too much emphasis on beating somebody else as a way to get what 
you want. I think it's very valuable to teach children (and anybody else 
who'll listen) that your victory doesn't always have to come at the cost 
of somebody else's defeat. Indeed, sometimes your gain can be 
*everybody's* gain.

True, sometimes it can't, and you need to understand that. Sometimes 
there can be only one winner. But it doesn't always have to be that way.

> Learning competition means understanding that you will not always come
> out on top. It's about learning to be fair to others. It means giving
> the other side due consideration. I for one welcome competition in our
> schools.

No, that's "cooperation". "Competition" is where you disregard everybody 
else and beat them out of the way by any means possible so that you get 
what you want.

> That statement by that teacher is dangerously ill-conceived, rather than
> insightful.

The sentiment can be taken to unhealthy extremes. Considering only the 
statement I witnessed, it's not really possible to say whether they took 
it that far or not.

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