Every student has felt the competitive atmosphere at CESJDS. The pressure to do well and brag about one’s successes to others is ubiquitous in our classrooms. This unnecessary competition needs to go if we are to properly support our students and help them grow into unique individuals. 

Of course, the right kind of competition can make you stronger and better. But sometimes competition can become destructive, such as when people start to doubt themselves or begin to feel that they’re not enough because of others’ actions and words.

I first felt a kind of competitive anxiety after finishing the PSAT at JDS my junior year. I had just completed  one of the sections and was taking a break at the water fountain when I overheard some of my friends. They were discussing the numerous advanced placement (AP) tests they had signed up for and how they expected to ace them. 

I nearly spit out my water. JDS didn’t even offer AP classes and my friends were still taking these tests? Were my friends better than me? Would I still get into college without them?

In hindsight, all of these thoughts were blown out of proportion and the tests were not as important as I thought they were. But the competitive pressure was, and still is, very real. 

Every time I heard someone gloat about their amazing grade on a test, I would fold my paper and feel bad. And every time a student said they did horribly when they got one question wrong, I began to doubt my own intelligence. 

That same horrible feeling occurs when people talk about their extensive extracurriculars. I remember the freshman year rush to sign your name on every club listed simply because you could. And that’s fine if you truly enjoy all those clubs. But the people who do it just to show off contribute to the unhealthy form of competitiveness and hurt other students.

People also need to start choosing classes that they’re genuinely interested in. When everyone joins the classes they think make them look the best for college, it creates multiple issues. Students may not be prepared for the workload, they may hate the subject material or they may be missing out on other experiences that would be much better for them. 

I have seen people become visibly uncomfortable by others talking about how they’ve done on assignments and how hard their all-advanced classes are. And I do admit that I have been a part of the problem in the past, but we have to work together as a community to get past it. 

We can value healthy competition and recognize positive achievements, but we should also strive to eliminate the destructive forms of competitiveness that discourage others. Then we can all work towards everybody at JDS succeeding and growing at their own pace.