by Ashley Murphy

I don't really understand the school systems in place today. Whether their doings are of their own accord, the government's or insane parents. I'm pretty sure the saying, all are created equal is taken a bit too literally.

Recently, several news outlets have reported that some school systems have stopped giving awards on field day, in which students compete in various child appropriate games, and have stopped giving recognition to honor students, all because "it's just not fair."

All I could do was comment to myself how amazingly, stupidly, ridiculous this is and shake my head in sadness...and disgust.

A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Not awarding any child or student for a job well done, in my opinion, will eventually lead to not giving their all. It will show them that even though they put in a considerable extra amount of effort than their peers, it doesn't matter because they're going to be treated just like those that couldn't care less about their achievement. (Which if this $15/hour minimum wage passes, I guess the schools are on the right track. But that's a completely different story.)

I'm sorry, but when I was in school, I looked at awards, whatever they may have been, as incentives to do better. I wanted to be recognized as an honor student my senior year in high school for my extra effort just as equally as when I wanted to go to the aquarium or arcade for accumulating reading points when I was in elementary and middle school.

From my account as a student, if incentives weren't enough to encourage students to do better, they probably just didn't give a rat's behind and were gonna breeze through school, and life, with the least amount of effort possible. So, punishing these "exceptional" students for doing well by treating them the same as someone who chooses to slack in their life, it's just disheartening, and a little disgraceful.

I can understand a little T-ball team, whose players are all under 7 or 8 years old, receiving sweet little trophies. They have no clue what's going on. They're just out there to chase a ball around without any real significant point. A trophy, in this case, might be a job well done for teamwork. The first step to advancement. But do I believe those who understand the meaning of a competitive team and are out there striving to win, whether in a game or in school grades, deserve a more distinguished award than those who aren't giving it their all? Absolutely.

I just wish these parents and these school systems would stop coddling their kids. It's so sad to see what this generation of children are having to deal with. It's honestly okay to not be politically correct ALL the time.

Award those who go above and beyond accordingly. They deserve it.

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