The "Sissifying" of America...

I think the principal meant that everyone won because all the kids read a bunch of books. Sort of like on MFP -- al the folks who are taking control of their lives are winners. And like another poster said, the kids always know who did the best.

I'm not saying that sissifying isn't happening. I'm just saying this isn't much of an example.

my husband is a college professor, and he *****es about this all the time. he has students who come to class totally unprepared and don't understand why they are not passing. he's had kids tell him, flat-out, that in high school, they came to class and didn't cause trouble, and they got decent grades. they never realized they'd have to actually study, turn in work, etc. in college. Can you imagine?!?!

It is known as "The duming down of America"

The "Trophy for Breathing" generation is a NIGHTMARE to teach in college. Too many have such unearned ego that they think they know everything. And heaven forbid you ask them to work hard.
Go to Hulu and look for the SNL Skit "You can do ANYTHING". Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I don't necessarily disagree with you OP, but what is the value of losing?

Teaches the value of hard work and self-independence.

Totally agree. I don't have kids, but I work in the financial aid office at a community college and the student here have such a feeling of entitlement. But out higher up don't help either. If you have failed every class you have taken and are on suspension and our office denies your appeal based in the fact that you have not shown any effort or successful progress, all the student has to do is fuss and yell and treating to sue and that get whatever they want. What is the point to school if were teaching people that they don't have to work hard to succeed.

What you do is take the trophy and give it to the local Special Olympics for the kids who really do appreciate it, and who DO have a hard road ahead of them.

I like this idea.

The crazy thing is that this is supposed to 'help' them, but it leaves them totally unprepared for real life.

They spend their school years constantly being told that they're great, amazing, unique etc and then they enter the world of work with a massively overdeveloped ego and often a correspondingly massive overestimation of their own worth.

I'm sure anyone who has ever interviewed young people as part of a recruitment process knows exactly what that's like. :grumble:

I work in college recruiting for a fortune 500. I talk to college students and recent grads for 90% of my day. Hiring and managing the Millennial attitude (I like to call them the Self Esteem Generation) is a huge HR initiative for us. The "real world" is changing to meet them, for better or worse.

i disagree.

and my kid is awesome.

the only way you become a winner is to not let the failures beat you down and keep trying. What is the saying? Edison didn't fail 500 times, he found 500 ways to not make a lightbulb work.

And had he been sufficiently rewarded for those 500 failures, he might never have found the need to go on to find the one success.

BS. What you guys are talking about is about giving kids posivibes even when they don't win like it's some crime against humanity. My son always gets told he did good even when he fails because i'm not gonna emotionally abuse him for not being the best at everything. Trying, and continuing to try, is what matters.

AMEN!!!!

I have 4 children and I fully agree with this.

I have to speak on behalf of the babied generation. YES the grand majority of us are whiny brats with smug senses of self entitlement that they totally do not deserve. They have been babied and are almost intolerable wusses for it. They need to learn how to lose and accept criticism. I agree with you wholeheartedly in that respect.

BUT REGARDING COLLEGE: the college process is not the same. To the university professors, I am sorry, this really is going to sound offensive for which I will admit forthright, but I have to assume you are not teaching at an upper tier school. There will inevitably be good students and bad students at every level but in order to get into prestigious universities (provided you don't have enough money to donate a hall) you have to work *hard*. I mean *hard*. This is the hardest thing my peers (middle class American high school students) will work for. I'm not kidding when I say they develop stomach ulcers, scratch themselves until they bleed, and contemplate suicide over college. The high school system is not like it used to be. It is a butt busting, brain numbing, grueling test of endurance for kids that want to get into good colleges. They *do* work hard in that respect and if they take a college level courseload, they are more than prepared for college. *Every* IB diploma student at my school has come back saying college was significantly easier than high school.

Sorry, I just wanted to say my piece. It's a little off topic but please don't equate my generation's sissy attitude with their school ethic, because I'd say half of the middle class kids go to hell and back, and end up more than prepared for the difficulty of college. They're not intellectuals, school has more or less stifled their curiosity and creativity, but they can take a college class and pass with flying colors.

i disagree.

and my kid is awesome.

the only way you become a winner is to not let the failures beat you down and keep trying. What is the saying? Edison didn't fail 500 times, he found 500 ways to not make a lightbulb work.

And had he been sufficiently rewarded for those 500 failures, he might never have found the need to go on to find the one success.

BS. What you guys are talking about is about giving kids posivibes even when they don't win like it's some crime against humanity. My son always gets told he did good even when he fails because i'm not gonna emotionally abuse him for not being the best at everything. Trying, and continuing to try, is what matters.

theres a big difference between telling your kid he sucks because hes not the best and telling him "im sorry you didnt win, maybe we can practice more" or "maybe next time" - say good job, but follow that with how they can improve if they want.
its not emotional abuse to help your kids learn that life isnt fair and not everyone will tell you "good job" when you lose. no need to get a participation ribbon/trophy - to me that just makes the winners trophy seem pointless. help your kid realize that to get what you want, you have to strive for first place and that you wont get a "ribbon" until you get there

This is the typical liberalism that is rotting it's way through America. Everyone in the same you see, isn't that right Comrade? God forbid that you fail at something and have to use your f**cking brain to figure out a different approach. By having all "winners" you are not only degrading what the actual winner was able to accomplish and setting up the ones that didn't do as well with an ego complex that they are great.

It later turns into bad attitudes, and over confidence. I recently ran into someone in a professional manner that provided the worst quality of work, barely even passable for what he was paid to do, and all he could say was "I worked really hard, this is my best work, I don't know what your problem is!" When I pointed out the flaws he had 100 excuses as to why it couldn't be done better. I spent a mere 10 minutes showing him how it COULD be done better and his response was "My way was good enough, your way is too much work..."

Here's a good one, my high school student wasn't handing the work on time. Well, we go to conferences and the teacher says "He has plenty of time to make it up, I'll let him hand it in late". Hubs is like, "Fail him". Bottom line is, it affects their "numbers" if you have a bunch of kids who fail. They let him slide.

Oh, here's the new thing now you don't get zeros for not handing in work, you get 50% because it brings down the grade too much.

My Dad just tried to explain this too me a month ago and quite honestly I think the principal brain washed him because he doesn't think this way. UGHH that makes me sick

My mom is a high school teacher by day, personal trainer by night, and you bet your *kitten* she has no problem failing a kid for not doing their work. HOWEVER...the way the public education system in Texas is, teachers have almost stopped giving a *kitten* because they force the standardized testing issue down their throats and the whole "no child left behind" crap. Leave some children behind, dammit! Let teachers actually teach, make kids actually work, and if kids don't do the work, they fail. Period.

Omg, and the helicopter parents thing, my mom was a private school principal for a while and those are the WORST. She could go on for hours about those damn helicopter parents!

^^^ This. Texas has a poor excuse for an educational system.

Then over the PA system, the principal says "We have 2000 winners tonight, not a single loser in the bunch.".

I like this only in the sense that this was a literacy drive and that really is good for everyone.