More pathetic public education news... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mikemover · #1 02-24-2003, 01:05 PM

Of course, this is at a school in Kalifornia!

Where else would such absurd ideas come from?....

Mike

http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,79361,00.html

G-Benz · #2 02-24-2003, 02:43 PM

"If they are not number one, it could get their feelings hurt if they are self-motivating and high-achieving students" ...uh, I believe that's called LIFE you moron!

Actually, as pathetic as the idea may be, I do agree that students today can pad their GPAs a whole lot easier than in past years. That cheapens the worth of a valedictorian award.

Still, there are many other statistics that can sway the overall student standing in a particular school, including enrollment size and demographics.

But maybe we should abolish scholarships as well, since those students that could not get one "could get their feelings hurt".

Kuan · #3 02-24-2003, 02:57 PM

Back in my day, being valedictorian was a sure way to become unpopular.

Robert Davis · #4 02-24-2003, 03:37 PM

We are moving more and more to a forced egalitarian society where everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. Popular culture reaffirms this fact by what we watch on TV, eat, and listen too on the radio. Again, as in other posts, I will say as a public school teacher, I see this demonstrated everyday; moreover, many of the parents are not much smarter than the students they drop off for us to babysit.
I am currently reading a book called: You Can Find Happiness During The Collapse Of Western Civilization. Very informative. The book states that for many years the business and entertainment industry has geared its products and services to society's lowest common denominator.
I have been accused of being too serious minded. I cannot help it when I see the things around me, realizing that I have 5 children that must live through the future we all must face. I have tried to stop commenting on these forums; today I could not help myself. Sorry!
Robert Davis

Kuan · #5 02-24-2003, 03:45 PM

In coaching, one of the important things we try to teach our kids is how to win, but more important, how to lose. It's a tough lesson to teach, especially to a kid or a team which is used to winning a lot. I don't know a single competitive person who doesn't feel at least a little hurt when they don't win.

mikemover · #6 02-24-2003, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kuan
In coaching, one of the important things we try to teach our kids is how to win, but more important, how to lose. It's a tough lesson to teach, especially to a kid or a team which is used to winning a lot. I don't know a single competitive person who doesn't feel at least a little hurt when they don't win.

Very good point. How can you find true satisfaction in winning if you've never lost...You won't appreciate victory nearly as much without the persepective that losing, even once, will give you!

Mke

mikemover · #7 02-24-2003, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kuan
Back in my day, being valedictorian was a sure way to become unpopular.

It's been my experience and observation that the fact that some kids were popular in school and some were not had very little correlation to their eventual success and/or happiness later in life.

The popular thing to do is not always the right thing to do, and vice versa.

Mike

#8 02-24-2003, 07:20 PM

I was a high school valedictorian, and I can't say that I was popular!

I probably wasn't particularly unpopular either, since I did win student body vice president senior year, essentially a popularity contest, to be sure. But I find the same thing when I interview for jobs, or even attend management meetings/seminars in the job I have. I eventually get heard, I have eventually landed good jobs when I was looking, but I have never ever been the sort of person that anyone said "wow, we need that fellow at all costs." I think the reaction to me is more, "well, I think he can do the job if we can't find someone better."

Still, we experienced similar nonsense when I attended the Naval Academy in the 1980s. We had physical training every weekday morning for the first summer, and the top few people got shirts as "supers," while the bottom few had to turn their t-shirts inside out as "subs" (I was neither). Except for a couple of years, we had a Commandant who forbade the "subs" practice, saying it made people feel terrible to be called such. It seemed to me it was good incentive for those fellows to get in shape...Fortunately he was gone by the time I came to lead that Plebe summer "fun," so we had subs both the first year I was there and the last.

But clearly, this not wanting to make people realize the truth about themselves for fear of making them feel badly is nothing new, just more widespread.

Kuan · #9 02-25-2003, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikemover
It's been my experience and observation that the fact that some kids were popular in school and some were not had very little correlation to their eventual success and/or happiness later in life.

The popular thing to do is not always the right thing to do, and vice versa.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that being valedictorian is no small achievement. Kids can be real mean.