Competition: not good for education

I was just thinking there's a big problem with the assumption that promoting competition (in the classrooms) will yield good results. Bad behaviors such as cheating come mostly from the desire to get those "good" results.

When the teachers, or the educational system promotes competition between students, what the system gets back is results. But does the system receive learning and more capabilities? Not really.
Competition in the classroom results in trying to look good. Not to do good, and certainly not to BE good.

A school that focuses competition as a means to increase results will probably get better results. But my experience tells me that children -and adults- try to get the greatest results with the least efforts. And competition will amplify that thought.

The situation will probably run according to this scenario:

1. The teachers agree on promoting competition (tacitly or explicitly) and the children start to "feel the heat".
2. The children scramble to find individual means to answer the demands of the system.
3. Some children find the tricks that work to get the expected results.
4. The teachers narrow their perceptions down to obtaining results. The educative process becomes merely a tool (and a energy and time consuming one) that is less and less important.
5. the "smart" kids get results and start leading the class group into widespread cheating behaviors.

excellence on the other hand, is very different from competition. Excellence comes from inside the individual. And it grows and brings forward other qualities of the individual.

Whereas competition is forced on the individuals, and they respond to it as to make exposure to it as short as possible, excellence comes as a strength of character that grows harmoniously with other personal qualities and interpersonal skills.

When the school systems stimulates personal excellence, the children will respond to it by displaying their best behaviors and their greatest skills because they enjoy that very experience. Expanding the breadth of the behaviors and capabilities becomes a goal in itself. This is something that every teacher will appreciate, as his/her work is reduced: motivation comes from the inside of every student, like a demand to be taught more. Enjoyment of learning can then be shared by teachers and students, which in turn leads to a series of positive echoes throughout the educational institution.

Studying doesn't have to be for a grade, not for a piece of cardboard, when the joy of excellence is discovered education is sought for the enjoyment of learning itself, and for the ability it bestows of displaying new behaviors and reaching new conclusions.

How can an educative system foster Excellence in its students?