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Should we be teaching kids everyone is a winner?

Date: April 10th, 2014
By: Polly Bath

Watch this video [1:17] for my thoughts on whether teaching kids everyone is a winner is helpful to them in the long run.

Handling competition is something that we really have to learn.

It is healthy to know that you’re not always going to be number one, you’re not always going to win. I think in some ways we made some mistakes by telling kids that everybody makes the team, there’s no second place, everybody’s a winner, and you’re always going to be number one.

Handling competition is something that we have to teach.

By making everyone a winner, giving everyone first place, and giving everyone an award, we send an unreasonable message for what’s going to be real when kids leave school.

Be careful that we’re not setting kids up for a reality that they won’t be able to handle.