Individual achievement should be celebrated

Why isn't competition encouraged in American academic education? In athletics, competition is optimized so as to produce a winning athletic team. If America is going to be competitive in the world marketplace, it must produce superior graduates in all academic pursuits.

For example, the Linn-Mar school district encourages competition in order to produce a winning football team. Parents crowd the new multimillion-dollar football stadium to support, cheer and root for the home team, thereby encouraging excellence in athletics.

In contrast, a Linn-Mar senior in a Sept. 16 letter was disheartened and alarmed that class rankings were eliminated.

Eliminating class rankings makes it harder for potential employers with job opportunities to judge the quality of the students for employment. Eliminating class standings discourages students from excelling through competition. If this is such a great practice for academics, then why don't Linn-Mar administrators eliminate competition in sports and just reward mediocrity and just everyone “feeling good” rather than having all students aspire to achieving their individual best by hard work in a competitive environment.

Gary C. Young

Cedar Rapids