Although it is sometimes thought that schools ought to teach children to compete, other people believe that the focus should be on cooperation. In my opinion, deciding whether to focus on competition or team working skills should depend on the age of the child. On the one hand, children who learn to compete against each other often do better in school, according to some. In other words, the competition between students motivates them to excel in their studies or tasks which consequently produces better academic performance and results. Furthermore, it is commonly believed that these skills are essential for children to learn in order to succeed later in life when they must compete against others in the job market. On the other hand, it is often thought that it is better if the emphasis at school is on cooperating with others. People do not live, work or socialise apart from others, so learning how to work alongside others ought to be taught from childhood. Without these sk...