Trying to be number one and trying to do a task well are two different things.
Punishments and rewards are two sides of the same coin and that coin doesn't buy you much.
Maximum difficulty isn't the same as optimal difficulty.
Independence is useful, but caring attitudes and behaviors shrivel up in a culture where each person is responsible only for himself.
Being a team player should not imply a demand for simple obedience and conformity.
Whoever said there's no such thing as a stupid question never looked carefully at a standardized test.