School cancels Honors Ceremony. Have we taken this thing too far?

[doreen]

According to this article, it seems that “honors night” hasn’t been actually been cancelled - that would imply that it had actually been scheduled. The children are still being recognized- but at a school-wide assembly where students will receive awards for academics, arts, sports, etc.

I can understand the parents wanting the event to be held in the evening so they can attend, but that is a completely separate issue from whether "honors night" should be exclusively for those receiving academic honors. I get the impression from the parents quoted that they would be just as outraged if there were a ceremony scheduled in the evening where not only those who received academic honors were celebrated, but also those who received honors in other areas. On of the parents compared it to a sports banquet, for those who play sports. Well, their honors night is different from every sports banquet I've ever been to. In my experience, sports banquets are open to everyone on one of the teams involved and usually a guest or two. They are *not * restricted to only those receiving awards and certainly not to only those receiving a particular type of award- I've never seen a sports banquet where the players who received an award for the highest batting average or most points scored or MVP was invited, but the ones who received a sportsmanship or "most improved award" were not. 

It seems that the parents value the exclusivity more than the grades- and certainly more than the education. Because the kid who just missed the honor roll got essentially the same education as the kid who barely made it.

[suranyi]

@SSG_Schwartz

Link here.

No score kept in youth league baseball and soccer games. No gold stars given to the brightest students. When do kids learn that life is a competition and sometimes you ain’t the best?

I really feel we are teaching kids that no matter how little you try, you will be rewarded. When I feel failure, I know I need to get better or get out. Shouldn’t children learn this at a young age?

SFC Schwartz

It’s fine once the kids get to be a certain age, but for very young kids their ability in just about everything is very strongly correlated with their age. So it doesn’t make sense to give awards that are based on nothing more important that how old the child is. Maybe once the child gets to be a teenager the age affect has worn off enough to make a real even playing field.

[aceplace57]

I made the deans list several times in college. No one ever threw a banquet for me. I got a letter and that was it.

I could see posting a list of honors students on a middle schools bulletin board. But, is a formal awards ceremony needed? I can’t recall anything like this in my junior high or high school thirty years ago.

[aruvqan]

@shiftless

No. The first lesson a child should learn is not “be first or get out.” Certainly in sports young kids have to learn how to actually play the game first. How do you hit the ball, how do you throw and catch the ball, how do you kick or run or whatever. If we filter kids by their sports ability at age 4 or 5 or whatever we eliminate a lot of kids who might be good one day, or who might just play a sport for fun.

.

Which all makes perfect sense. Unfortunately this all used to be done in neighborhood pickup games.

I can’t tell you the last time I saw any bunch of random kids out playing for the hell of it.