Should We Reward Good Students?

[JimLes]

Guess what, in life, those who work harder will get more.

What a load of ****. I was the laziest, least motivated, most irresponsible student you can imagine. I always got better grades than my schoolmates who busted their asses off. What does that teach them?

 

[fishonjazz]

What a load of ****. I was the laziest, least motivated, most irresponsible student you can imagine. I always got better grades than my schoolmates who busted their asses off. What does that teach them?

Well that proves that we should do whatever you think is best

 

[JimLes]

Well that proves that we should do whatever you think is best

Or maybe instead of teaching kids that hard work will always, unfailingly yield tremendous amount of success, maybe we should teach them that success mostly has to do with factors outside their control?

 

[Maktub]

Or maybe instead of teaching kids that hard work will always, unfailingly yield tremendous amount of success, maybe we should teach them that success mostly has to do with factors outside their control?

Talk about demotivizing... Geez. Yep, let's teach our kids that whatever you do, it doesn't matter. The system is stacked against you. Why try at all?

 

[UGLI baby]

Or maybe instead of teaching kids that hard work will always, unfailingly yield tremendous amount of success, maybe we should teach them that success mostly has to do with factors outside their control?

Lolololololol

"Just hope for the best kids, nothing you can really do about it."



#nTn

 

[Hantlers]

What a load of ****. I was the laziest, least motivated, most irresponsible student you can imagine. I always got better grades than my schoolmates who busted their asses off. What does that teach them?

It probably taught your classmates that you knew a lot about stuff in school, but know nothing about the real world and how it operates. That's why we see so many people like you go to grad school because they don't know what the hell else to do, but don't want to leave their structured world where they have little to no responsibilities other than grades and learning.

Or maybe instead of teaching kids that hard work will always, unfailingly yield tremendous amount of success, maybe we should teach them that success mostly has to do with factors outside their control?

Most people will never see success without hard work. There are stupid people who work hard, but don't get far and there are smart people who don't work hard and do get far...however most of these people are outliers. The majority of people who are successful work their asses off AND are somewhat smart. Of course there are going to be some factors outside their control, but anybody who teaches that hard work is a bad thing is a complete moron.

 

[Stoked]

I agree with rewarding students in school for various things. Such as academic excellence, athletic excellence, academic improvement and social aspects.

This notion that kids who bust their butt in some positive way shouldn't be recognized/rewarded is very foolish to me. I think a healthy discussion about the best way to do that could be useful though.

 

[Stoked]

This was never a fact. There have always been people working 80 hours a week and having little or nothing to show for it at the end of the year.

He said could. Not would.

 

[8]

My experience with public education was a tremendous amount of focus on the bottom end, and neglect of the top. Wasn't and am not a fan.

 

[LogGrad98]

This was never a fact. There have always been people working 80 hours a week and having little or nothing to show for it at the end of the year.

Well lots of factors are at play here, not the least of which is financial literacy. However, it is hard to argue that hard work does not in some way trump no work when it comes to giving yourself the best shot to get ahead in life. Playing the odds anyone would have to bet on hard work over no work.

 

[JimLes]

Talk about demotivizing... Geez. Yep, let's teach our kids that whatever you do, it doesn't matter. The system is stacked against you. Why try at all?

I'm supposed to teach the kids truth, aren't I?

 

[spycam1]

JimLes for Teacher of the Year.

 

[JimLes]

Of course there are going to be some factors outside their control,

Most factors are outside their control. You don't choose your DNA, you don't choose your parents, you don't choose if you have family members in jail or on drugs, you don't choose how much money you have growing up, you don't choose how much funding your school has, you don't choose whether or not you have family members to support, you don't choose whether you have enough money to go to college.

I never said hard work is a bad thing. I just don't think it has much to do with success. Claiming that success is mostly hard work is nothing more than ********, right-wing, neo-liberal propaganda. Especially when it flies into the face of research that shows that more or less, you're going to end up being the same economic and social class as the one you've grown up in.

 

[Hantlers]

Most factors are outside their control. You don't choose your DNA, you don't choose your parents, you don't choose if you have family members in jail or on drugs, you don't choose how much money you have growing up, you don't choose how much funding your school has, you don't choose whether or not you have family members to support, you don't choose whether you have enough money to go to college.

I never said hard work is a bad thing. I just don't think it has much to do with success. Claiming that success is mostly hard work is nothing more than ********, right-wing, neo-liberal propaganda. Especially when it flies into the face of research that shows that more or less, you're going to end up being the same economic and social class as the one you've grown up in.

You literally disgust me. You act like we have no choices in life but to be who we were born as, to stay in the same place. You act as if success is only for the lucky.

Ya know what I think? I think you don't view yourself as successful, but you aren't willing to admit that it was your fault. It wasn't your fault that you're not happy with your crummy teaching job. It's not your fault that you aren't loaded. It's not your fault that you couldn't fulfill the majority of your dreams. Take some responsibility for once in your life, and then maybe you do something worth a damn.

 

[Deleted member 848]

You literally disgust me. You act like we have no choices in life but to be who we were born as, to stay in the same place. You act as if success is only for the lucky.

Ya know what I think? I think you don't view yourself as successful, but you aren't willing to admit that it was your fault. It wasn't your fault that you're not happy with your crummy teaching job. It's not your fault that you aren't loaded. It's not your fault that you couldn't fulfill the majority of your dreams. Take some responsibility for once in your life, and then maybe you do something worth a damn.

Hahaha. Omg. Here we go, bishes #shotsfired


Where ma popcorn at.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Most factors are outside their control. You don't choose your DNA, you don't choose your parents, you don't choose if you have family members in jail or on drugs, you don't choose how much money you have growing up, you don't choose how much funding your school has, you don't choose whether or not you have family members to support, you don't choose whether you have enough money to go to college.

I never said hard work is a bad thing. I just don't think it has much to do with success. Claiming that success is mostly hard work is nothing more than ********, right-wing, neo-liberal propaganda. Especially when it flies into the face of research that shows that more or less, you're going to end up being the same economic and social class as the one you've grown up in.

Success doesn't necessarily mean becoming richer.

 

[JimLes]

You literally disgust me. You act like we have no choices in life but to be who we were born as, to stay in the same place. You act as if success is only for the lucky.

Ya know what I think? I think you don't view yourself as successful, but you aren't willing to admit that it was your fault. It wasn't your fault that you're not happy with your crummy teaching job. It's not your fault that you aren't loaded. It's not your fault that you couldn't fulfill the majority of your dreams. Take some responsibility for once in your life, and then maybe you do something worth a damn.

Way to make this personal, kiddo. Ad hominem attacks. You know nothing about me, but you believe I'm motivated by money, that I have a crummy teaching job(I love learning, else why would I have spent most of my life as either a student or a teacher?), that I don't think of myself as successful.

I teach kids that life is unfair because it is. And it's not unfair because it's the natural state of the universe, but because people have made it so. I also teach them that they have a responsibility to make it more fair. We all do. I'm not going to lie to them and tell them that the world they live in is a meritocracy ruled where people's fortunes are determined by their hard work.

I don't tell kids not to work hard. I tell them to apply themselves, to find things they love and do them to the full extent of their abilities, to give themselves over to their chosen fields and passions. But I also tell them to never, ever buy into the crap and that success is a reflection of how hard someone worked. That being rich means you've worked harder than those who are poor. That being in the NBA means you've practiced more and harder than people who never made it to the NBA. That having a degree means you've worked harder than people who haven't got one. That Justin Bieber is Justin Bieber because he worked harder than the kids in the school band.

You think you know about real world? You know jack all. You have absolutely no qualifications to speak on anything related to teaching or education. None. If you think kids who drop out drop out because they're lazy, you're so deluded that I don't know where to begin. Or that rewarding kids who do well will do anything more than just perpetuate the divide between the successful and the unsuccessful.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I think y'all probably agree on this issue more than you think.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

To sum up:

Hard-work is important, but doesn't insure success.

Certain people are born into advantages, both genetic and social.

Those advantages help, but again, aren't everything.

Luck and timing are also important factors in success.

Who you know is important.

 

[Hantlers]

Way to make this personal, kiddo. Ad hominem attacks. You know nothing about me, but you believe I'm motivated by money, that I have a crummy teaching job(I love learning, else why would I have spent most of my life as either a student or a teacher?), that I don't think of myself as successful.

I teach kids that life is unfair because it is. And it's not unfair because it's the natural state of the universe, but because people have made it so. I also teach them that they have a responsibility to make it more fair. We all do. I'm not going to lie to them and tell them that the world they live in is a meritocracy ruled where people's fortunes are determined by their hard work.

I don't tell kids not to work hard. I tell them to apply themselves, to find things they love and do them to the full extent of their abilities, to give themselves over to their chosen fields and passions. But I also tell them to never, ever buy into the crap and that success is a reflection of how hard someone worked. That being rich means you've worked harder than those who are poor. That being in the NBA means you've practiced more and harder than people who never made it to the NBA. That having a degree means you've worked harder than people who haven't got one. That Justin Bieber is Justin Bieber because he worked harder than the kids in the school band.

You think you know about real world? You know jack all. You have absolutely no qualifications to speak on anything related to teaching or education. None. If you think kids who drop out drop out because they're lazy, you're so deluded that I don't know where to begin. Or that rewarding kids who do well will do anything more than just perpetuate the divide between the successful and the unsuccessful.

I agree that life is unfair, but nobody is going to get themselves out of their position in life by being lazy. You work hard, and at least you've got a chance. It may not be much of a chance, but at least you have one. Saying that hard work is worthless is essentially just giving up, saying that you accept what life has given you. Screw that. Success isn't about how much money you make, what kind of job you have, or what kind of car you drive. Success is being able to reflect on your life and say that you did your best...that you gave your all. You are never going to do your best without hard work.