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School Board Decides Valedictorian Title Too Competitive

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posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:25 PM
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Another great example of a blue ribbon panel school board that got nervous about students getting offended.

Here we have them "deciding" the Valedictorian Title is much too competitive and therefore unhealthy !!!

Great.

But what happens when these students get into things like job competition? Or what if some decide to join the military?

I bet the students will be fine, it's the highly educated adult administrators that have the problem.




School Board Decides Valedictorian Title Too Competitive


How long can the bureaucrats in education extend the idea that competition and conflict should be banished in the educational system? Somehow, the school board in Wake County North Carolina thinks reducing competition will lead to a better education for students. While the board has to vote twice on the policy change, it unanimously approved a proposal this week that would do away with the distinction of a high school graduate with the highest GPA being named valedictorian. Competition was getting unhealthy, the chair of the school board explained, and students were setting a goal of getting the highest GPA instead of taking classes that might help them in the future. Thus, the board reasoned, it was better to bolster the Latin honor system and do away with the first and second place honors.

“Competition is a reality of life, whether these hippies like it or not,” writes Katherine Timpf at National Review. “The kid with the top GPA is still going to have the top GPA, no matter what you call (or don’t call) him or her for having it. Class ranking is a competition, and the kid at the top is the winner. Can we cut the crap? Sure, maybe that kid was motivated to win by the force of competition and not by holding hands with fellow classmates and singing ‘Kumbaya.’ But you know what? That’s the way the real world works, and it’s time for more people to start living there.” After all, the safe spaces go away after college and an education that hasn’t prepared students for competition and conflict has not educated them at all.




4.0 for all !!!!




posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:30 PM
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Thats right keep lowering the bar until there is no goal to achieve anymore, except survival that is, thats when # will get interesting hope the kids were paying attention in everyones a winner boxing and rifle range. *gulp*



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:35 PM
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a reply to: xuenchen

Letter grades A and B are micro-aggressive.

Racist!



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:38 PM
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a reply to: xuenchen

Competition breeds original thought processes, original thought processes threaten government dependence - it is better that everyone gets a trophy so some do not feel left out.

Individualism is to be replaced with collectivism so that our thoughts and opinions match that of the state.

We are all equal, irrespective of some being more equal than others.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:38 PM
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a reply to: DBCowboy

B stands for Brotherman hates other peoples children, I hope everyone gets B's with their ice cream mwahahaha



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:40 PM
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a reply to: xuenchen



Competition was getting unhealthy, the chair of the school board explained, and students were setting a goal of getting the highest GPA instead of taking classes that might help them in the future. Thus, the board reasoned, it was better to bolster the Latin honor system and do away with the first and second place honors.


Sounds good to me. They are still getting recognition for their accomplishments, but not focusing on the 1st/2nd garbage.

Education is not like a Nascar race.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:44 PM
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a reply to: introvert

Which courses/classes would be in that category?

Why wouldn't a HS student take courses that they are better at?

Sounds too authoritarian and dangerous because students would do poorly in classes that don't fit their skill set.




posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:46 PM
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a reply to: introvert

I wasn't aware retards in a school board can see the future, who would have thought that? The fact is, is that there are not even enough jobs in America to support all of those people needing work, more people then job availability, it means # is super competitive now and only going to get worse. Soon their high school burger flipping days filled by work release inmates is going the way of the dodo too sooooo...



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:49 PM
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originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: introvert

Which courses/classes would be in that category?

Why wouldn't a HS student take courses that they are better at?

Sounds too authoritarian and dangerous because students would do poorly in classes that don't fit their skill set.



They need to take classes that educate them in areas they may not be proficient in. Taking courses you are already good at means you are just floating by on crap you don't need to learn, or already know.

The goal is to educate, not reinforce that which you already know.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:50 PM
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originally posted by: Brotherman
a reply to: introvert

I wasn't aware retards in a school board can see the future, who would have thought that? The fact is, is that there are not even enough jobs in America to support all of those people needing work, more people then job availability, it means # is super competitive now and only going to get worse. Soon their high school burger flipping days filled by work release inmates is going the way of the dodo too sooooo...


Not sure what your point is. Can you clarify?



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:52 PM
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a reply to: introvert

You said education is not like a nascar race, I am saying it is exactly like a nascar race. Everyone is going about the same speed trying to get ahead of each other, and it is not going to be getting any easier.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:56 PM
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originally posted by: Brotherman
a reply to: introvert

You said education is not like a nascar race, I am saying it is exactly like a nascar race. Everyone is going about the same speed trying to get ahead of each other, and it is not going to be getting any easier.


The goal is not a finish line. It is individual understanding. Not everyone is going to get their at the same time or the same route.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 09:59 PM
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a reply to: introvert

By finish line do you mean enter the workforce or graduate? I think that the competition in education should reflect the competition in the work force scenario. Basically kids are choosing to take classes to get a higher GPA which will help them get into a university, the school is saying "oh well these kids are just taking easy classes to get a higher GPA" instead of changing the class/ coarse material to reflect the real world and make it more challenging they lower the bar.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:01 PM
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School board members said the change will allow students to take more of the courses they’d like rather than just the ones that will boost their GPA and class rank.

“We have heard from many, many schools that the competition has become very unhealthy,” school board Chairman Tom Benton said in an interview. “Students were not collaborating with each other the way that we would like them to. Their choice of courses was being guided by their GPA and not their future education plans.”


Original News Article

More from the original source and not the editorial piece about it.

The stated reasons for the change seem pretty well thought out and reasonable. I know a couple people in high school dropped out of band to go to a class they didn't need because they could get higher grades.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:04 PM
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a reply to: xuenchen

Just curious... why do you keep citing the far right sites?

Kids are getting smarter everyday and this school (and ONLY this school) has to deal with the fact that their top students are getting the same grades or the grades perceived as the same. And besides this policy won't be in effect until 2 years later anyway.

College and Universities grant the top students with honors. And this school want to apply that to their students.
edit on 5/21/2016 by Deaf Alien because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:04 PM
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a reply to: introvert

Like what courses?

Don't schools have mandatory minimums?

So you say never let somebody excel in a specific direction.




posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:04 PM
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a reply to: Brotherman



By finish line do you mean enter the workforce or graduate?


That's up to the individual.



I think that the competition in education should reflect the competition in the work force scenario.


Then a GPA is irrelevant. The GPA only matters when going on to pursue higher education. Otherwise, on-the-job training is more important and someone's GPA will not correlate to a better ability to train on the job.

Sounds to me like you are making the case to do away with the competition and focus on actual education/training.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:05 PM
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a reply to: Pyle




“Students were not collaborating with each other the way that we would like them to. Their choice of courses was being guided by their GPA and not their future education plans.”


Conform or else, we own you and your future. We are not responsible for the world we created for you but you will conform or else, we change the rules... again.



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:06 PM
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originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: introvert

Like what courses?

Don't schools have mandatory minimums?

So you say never let somebody excel in a specific direction.



Courses are irrelevant.

I'm saying the competition aspect for top spot is pointless. Education is the goal, not being the one to cross the finish line first so that the beer-drinking idiots in the crowd can scream your name (nascar reference).



posted on May, 21 2016 @ 10:08 PM
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originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: Brotherman



By finish line do you mean enter the workforce or graduate?


That's up to the individual.



I think that the competition in education should reflect the competition in the work force scenario.


Then a GPA is irrelevant. The GPA only matters when going on to pursue higher education. Otherwise, on-the-job training is more important and someone's GPA will not correlate to a better ability to train on the job.

Sounds to me like you are making the case to do away with the competition and focus on actual education/training.



Ok fine, how is this then, why does the school offer coarse's they believe does not benefit a students future in the first place?



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