All hail mediocrity

[Lemon Drop]

somebody's bitter

[Spock]

Dennis S wrote:
Ah, the memories. I remember fondly back in 1968 at the football banquet when I won the Award for "Most Improved" for the 3rd year in a row.

Did you also got an award for "Most Proved" for bread-making?

[swampy]

As for my son, his case was hi school, not middle school, but the situation is otherwise similar.

Steve, what is your opposition to rewarding students for academic achievement?

[deckeda]

The link, and original link linked within that, are short on details but it does seem weird the Honors Night was cancelled. I remember them happening when I was in high school (albeit not as an attendee, natch) and don't recall feeling "bad" I didn't get to go.

One thing I do remember was a kid I knew, always got A's and didn't accept or go to his Honor Roll night. He thought it was stupid to be awarded "something so dumb, for what I should be doing anyway." He was later a college roommate of mine, did well and became an architect. All his siblings are smart too.

[SteveG]

A friend of mine (who had closetsful of 'honors)' once observed, "It doesn't mean anything unless there is a large chunk of college cash attached to it".

ps-Since I got my share of 'achievement awards' (plus college cash), there is no bitterness involved.

[btfc]

You know any article with the phrase "cultural Marxism" in the first sentence is bound to be enlightening.

[Ted King]

I think a special ceremony at night for academic awards is a bit much for middle school. At the middle school where I taught we would have a morning each quarter where academically high achieving kids were invited into the cafeteria just before school to have milk (optional chocolate milk, of course) and pastries and pick up their awards - no "ceremony". A lot of the boys chose to play basketball rather than pick up their awards, but I know for many of the kids, those awards were fairly meaningful (a little tangible something that they can see as a reward for their commitment and hard work).

I never noticed the kids who weren't getting awards caring much one way or the other for the most part.

I think some acknowledgment of high academic achievement is good at any age level, just like there should be acknowledgment for high athletic achievement or artistic achievement.

[vision63]

Steve G. wrote:
Looks to me like the swamp's middle school ceremony is an effort to humiliate the vast majority of the students attending.
Some 'feel good' exercise!

As to the others postings...exactly how do you determine whether one kid displays 'generosity', 'kindness', integrity etc? Who nominates them? Are they ones that the teachers have seen? Appeared in local newspapers? Lobbied by church groups? Rescued swamp's puppies after she dumped them off a bridge? Seems like a bunch of total nonsense to me.

Why not just leave the children to be children and not hold ceremonies to please adults with selfish agendas?

There is nothing wrong with recognizing and acknowledging achievement. Perhaps the concept is to encourage children by giving them something to shoot for. You could just pull your kids out it. That's cool too. Less competition for my kids.

[Dennis S]

The kids here in Arkansas just went to Dallas for some kind of awards. 7th or 8th graders. They had to buy new fancy dresses and hair-dos just to walk across a stage.

[SteveG]

Here's my kind of recognition award: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/03/...supermodel

Jewish day schooler snags prom date with supermodel Kate Upton
March 21, 2013

(JTA) -- A Los Angeles day school student landed a prom date with supermodel Kate Upton.

Jake Davidson released a YouTube video last week asking Upton to the prom at Milken Community High School in Bel Air, Calif. The video has garnered more than 1 million hits.

Upton, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model for the past two years, surprised Davidson while he was being interviewed Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show, calling in to tell him she would "love to go."

She had tweeted a day earlier, ”you can call me Katie if you want! How could I turn down that video! I'll check my schedule wink."

Davidson promised he would get his 11 p.m. curfew waived for the date, according to E!