A Little Competition Can Inspire Students to Greater Achievement

The purpose of math competitions is to encourage students to explore, discover, and learn more about mathematics and problem solving.

If you do not currently engage in math competition, I encourage you to give it a try – both for your sake, and for the sake of your students. There are many math competitions and contests for you to choose from.

The most immediate value of math contests is to inspire students’ interest in mathematics and encourage them to value intellectual pursuits. Math contests thus motivate them to become good at mathematics just like sports encourage physical fitness.

Beyond encouraging an interest in mathematics, contests also help prepare students for competition. For better or worse, much of life is competition, be it for jobs or resources or whatever. Competition of any sort trains students to deal with success and failure, and teaches them that effective performance requires practice. They also get valuable certificates that can help them differentiate from the crowd when it comes to college admissions.

Furthermore, almost every interesting and worthwhile venture in life comes with some element of pressure. Math competitions greatly teach students how to efficiently handle pressure.

数学是一切科技工程的基础，学好数学终身受益。数学不仅是一种工具，而且是一种思维模式；不仅是一种知识，而且是一种素养；不仅是一种科学，而且是一种文化，能否运用数学观念定量思维是衡量民族科学文化素质的一个重要标志。数学教育对于学生树立正确的世界观将产生长期的潜移默化的影响；数学教育在培养高素质人才（尤其是科学技术工程人才）中具有其独特的、不可替代的重要作用。