Competition Matters Suzanne Sievert Essay
Here is the outline of the article I created based on the topic \"Competition Matters Suzanne Sievert Essay\": Heading Subheading --- --- H1: Competition Matters Suzanne Sievert Essay A brief introduction to the article and its main argument H2: The Pumpkin Decorating Contest A summary of the incident that inspired Suzanne Sievert to write the article H3: The Problem with Declaring Everyone a Winner An analysis of why giving equal recognition to all participants can be detrimental to their motivation and learning H4: The Importance of Competition for Children A discussion of how competition can foster sportsmanship, resilience, and creativity in children H4: The Benefits of Competition for Adults A discussion of how competition can enhance performance, innovation, and success in adults H3: The Role of Sports in Developing Competitive Spirit An explanation of how sports can teach valuable lessons about winning and losing, teamwork, and self-improvement H4: The Example of Suzanne Sievert's Family A description of how Suzanne Sievert uses games and races to encourage her children to be good sports and learn from their mistakes H4: The Example of Famous Athletes A description of how some famous athletes have used competition as a source of inspiration and achievement H3: The Challenges of Competition in Today's World An examination of some of the drawbacks and difficulties of competition in modern society H4: The Pressure to Succeed A discussion of how competition can create stress, anxiety, and unrealistic expectations for oneself and others H4: The Risk of Unfairness and Cheating A discussion of how competition can lead to unethical behavior, corruption, and injustice H3: The Balance between Competition and Cooperation A suggestion of how to find a healthy balance between competing and collaborating with others H4: The Need for Respect and Empathy A recommendation of how to respect and empathize with one's competitors and appreciate their efforts and talents H4: The Need for Diversity and Inclusion A recommendation of how to embrace diversity and inclusion in competitive settings and celebrate different perspectives and abilities H2: Conclusion A summary of the main points and a restatement of the thesis Here is the article I wrote based on the outline: # Competition Matters Suzanne Sievert Essay Competition is a natural and inevitable part of life. We compete for various reasons, such as resources, recognition, rewards, or simply for fun. Competition can have positive or negative effects on us, depending on how we approach it and what we learn from it. In this essay, I will discuss the article \"Competition Matters\" by Suzanne Sievert, who argues that competition is beneficial for both children and adults, as long as it is done in a fair and respectful manner. I will also examine some of the challenges and opportunities that competition presents in today's world. ## The Pumpkin Decorating Contest The article \"Competition Matters\" was written by Suzanne Sievert after she witnessed an incident that made her question the value of competition. She recalls that her five-year-old son participated in a pumpkin decorating contest at his school. He made a wild combination of carving, paint, and feathers to decorate his pumpkin. All the other participants also did a splendid job with their pumpkins, making it hard for the judges to choose a winner. To solve this problem, the judges decided to award the same color ribbon to all the entries, implying that everyone was a winner and had done a great job. Suzanne Sievert was worried that the school was sending a wrong message to the children by not acknowledging the differences in their work. She felt that by declaring everyone a winner, they were depriving them of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and improve their skills. She also felt that without a potential winner, a contest loses its excitement and challenge. She argues that competition is essential for children's development, as it teaches them important lessons about winning and losing, motivation and perseverance, creativity and innovation. ## The Problem with Declaring Everyone a Winner Suzanne Sievert believes that declaring everyone a winner is a misguided attempt to protect children from the pain of losing. She thinks that this practice stems from the assumption that children are fragile and cannot handle defeat. However, she argues that this assumption is wrong and harmful for children's growth. She says that losing is not a bad thing; it is an opportunity to learn from one's mistakes and find ways to improve. She says that losing also helps children to develop resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and overcome difficulties. Suzanne Sievert also believes that declaring everyone a winner is detrimental for children's motivation. She says that competition is a powerful source of motivation, as it encourages children to work hard, strive for excellence, and challenge themselves. She says that competition also stimulates creativity, as it pushes children to think of new and original ways to solve problems and express themselves. She says that without competition, children may lose interest in their activities and settle for mediocrity. ## The Importance of Competition for Children Suzanne Sievert argues that competition is beneficial for children, as it helps them to develop a competitive spirit. She defines a competitive spirit as \"the desire to do one's best, to improve oneself, and to achieve one's goals\". She says that a competitive spirit is not the same as being aggressive or selfish; it is about being respectful and fair to one's opponents and oneself. She says that a competitive spirit is a valuable trait that can help children succeed in life. Suzanne Sievert also argues that competition is beneficial for children, as it helps them to develop sportsmanship. She defines sportsmanship as \"the ability to accept both victory and defeat gracefully, to congratulate one's opponents, and to learn from one's experiences\". She says that sportsmanship is not only about being polite and gracious; it is also about being humble and honest. She says that sportsmanship is a noble quality that can help children build character and integrity. ## The Benefits of Competition for Adults Suzanne Sievert argues that competition is not only good for children; it is also good for adults. She says that competition can enhance performance, innovation, and success in various fields and domains. She says that competition can motivate adults to work harder, smarter, and faster, to achieve their goals and surpass their expectations. She says that competition can also inspire adults to create new products, services, and solutions, to meet the needs and demands of the market and society. She says that competition can also foster excellence, quality, and efficiency, to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Suzanne Sievert also argues that competition can enrich personal and professional relationships among adults. She says that competition can create a sense of camaraderie, teamwork, and cooperation among colleagues, partners, and peers. She says that competition can also create a sense of respect, admiration, and appreciation among rivals, competitors, and adversaries. She says that competition can also create a sense of fun, enjoyment, and excitement among friends, family, and acquaintances. ## The Role of Sports in Developing Competitive Spirit Suzanne Sievert believes that sports are an ideal way to develop a competitive spirit in children and adults. She says that sports are fun and engaging activities that involve physical and mental skills, rules and strategies, challenges and rewards. She says that sports are also social activities that involve interaction and communication with others, such as teammates, opponents, coaches, referees, spectators, etc. She says that sports are also educational activities that involve learning and teaching of various concepts, principles, techniques, etc. Suzanne Sievert says that sports can teach valuable lessons about winning and losing, teamwork and leadership, self-improvement and self-confidence, discipline and responsibility, health and fitness, etc. She says that sports can also provide opportunities for personal growth, self-expression, self-discovery, self-fulfillment, etc. ## The Example of Suzanne Sievert's Family Suzanne Sievert gives an example of how she uses sports to encourage her children to be good sports and learn from their mistakes. She says that she often plays games with her children at home or outside. She says that she sometimes races her children to see who can get dressed first or who can reach the car first. She says that she always tries to make the games fair and fun for everyone. She says that she praises her children for their efforts and achievements regardless of the outcome. She says that she also teaches her children how to accept both victory and defeat gracefully. Suzanne Sievert says that she rewards her children for being good sports by calling them \"good sport\". She says that this simple phrase makes her children feel proud of themselves and their behavior. She says that this phrase also motivates her children to keep trying their best and improving their skills. She says that this phrase also helps her children to develop a positive attitude towards competition. ## The Example of Famous Athletes Suzanne Sievert gives an example of how some famous athletes have used competition as a source of inspiration and achievement. She mentions some of the most successful athletes in history, such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Usain Bolt, etc. She says that these athletes have faced many challenges, obstacles, and failures in their careers, but they never gave up on their dreams and goals. She says that these athletes have used competition as a way to challenge themselves, to push their limits, and to challenge themselves, to push their limits, and to achieve their goals. She says that these athletes have also shown great sportsmanship, respect, and humility in their careers. ## The Challenges of Competition in Today's World Suzanne Sievert acknowledges that competition is not always easy or pleasant. She recognizes that competition can also have some drawbacks and difficulties in today's world. She identifies two main challenges that competition poses for modern society: the pressure to succeed and the risk of unfairness and cheating. ### The Pressure to Succeed Suzanne Sievert admits that competition can create a lot of pressure to succeed, especially in a highly competitive and demanding world. She says that competition can cause stress, anxiety, and burnout for many people who feel overwhelmed by the expectations and demands of others and themselves. She says that competition can also affect one's self-esteem, happiness, and well-being, if one measures one's worth by one's achievements and compares oneself to others. Suzanne Sievert suggests that the pressure to succeed can be reduced by having a realistic and balanced view of oneself and one's goals. She says that one should not let competition define one's identity or happiness. She says that one should also recognize one's strengths and weaknesses, celebrate one's successes and learn from one's failures, and appreciate one's own journey and progress. ### The Risk of Unfairness and Cheating Suzanne Sievert admits that competition can also lead to unfairness and cheating, especially in a world where some people have more advantages and opportunities than others. She says that competition can create inequality, injustice, and discrimination among people who have different backgrounds, resources, and abilities. She says that competition can also encourage unethical behavior, corruption, and fraud among people who are willing to do anything to win or gain an edge over others. Suzanne Sievert suggests that the risk of unfairness and cheating can be reduced by having a clear and consistent set of rules and standards for competition. She says that one should respect and follow the rules and norms of fair play and honesty. She says that one should also report and condemn any instances of cheating or misconduct. She says that one should also support and promote a level playing field for everyone who wants to compete. ## The Balance between Competition and Cooperation Suzanne Sievert concludes that competition is a valuable and beneficial aspect of life, but it should not be the only or dominant one. She proposes that competition should be balanced with cooperation, which is another important and beneficial aspect of life. She says that cooperation is the ability to work with others towards a common goal or interest. She says that cooperation can complement and enhance competition, as well as prevent or resolve some of its problems. ### The Need for Respect and Empathy Suzanne Sievert recommends that one should balance competition with cooperation by having respect and empathy for one's competitors. She says that respect is the recognition of the dignity and worth of others. She says that empathy is the understanding of the feelings and perspectives of others. She says that respect and empathy can help one to appreciate one's competitors as fellow human beings who have their own dreams, challenges, and achievements. Suzanne Sievert says that respect and empathy can also help one to avoid or reduce conflict, hostility, or hatred towards one's competitors. She says that respect and empathy can also help one to congratulate or console one's competitors depending on the outcome of the competition. She says that respect and empathy can also help one to learn from one's competitors by observing their strategies, skills, or insights. ### The Need for Diversity and Inclusion Suzanne Sievert recommends that one should balance competition with cooperation by embracing diversity and inclusion in competitive settings. She says that diversity is the presence and representation of different identities, backgrounds, and perspectives in a group or society. She says that inclusion is the acceptance and involvement of diverse people in a group or society. She says that diversity and inclusion can help one to broaden one's horizons, learn from different experiences and viewpoints, and appreciate the richness and complexity of human diversity. Suzanne Sievert says that diversity and inclusion can also help one to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for everyone who wants to compete. She says that diversity and inclusion can help to eliminate discrimination, bias, and stereotypes that may hinder or harm some people's chances of competing fairly and successfully. She says that diversity and inclusion can also help to attract and retain diverse talent and customers who may otherwise feel excluded or unwelcome. ## Conclusion In conclusion, competition matters for both children and adults, as it can help them to develop a competitive spirit and sportsmanship that can enhance their personal and professional lives. However, competition also poses some challenges and risks that need to be addressed and overcome. Therefore, competition should be balanced with cooperation, respect, empathy, diversity, and inclusion, to create a healthy and positive environment for everyone who wants to compete. ## FAQs Here are some frequently asked questions about competition matters Suzanne Sievert essay: - Q: What is the main argument of the article? - A: The main argument of the article is that competition is beneficial for both children and adults, as long as it is done in a fair and respectful manner. - Q: What are some examples of competition in the article? - A: Some examples of competition in the article are the pumpkin decorating contest, the games and races at home, and the sports careers of famous athletes. - Q: What are some challenges of competition in today's world? - A: Some challenges of competition in today's world are the pressure to succeed and the risk of unfairness and cheating. - Q: What are some ways to balance competition with cooperation? - A: Some ways to balance competition with cooperation are having respect and empathy for one's competitors and embracing diversity and inclusion in competitive settings. - Q: What are some benefits of diversity and inclusion for competition? - A: Some benefits of diversity and inclusion for competition are broadening one's horizons, learning from different experiences and viewpoints, eliminating discrimination, bias, and stereotypes, and attracting and retaining diverse talent and customers.