Why academic awards for elementary aged kids are a bad idea.
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Anonymous
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Second grader who didn't win an academic award asks: "Is it because I'm not smart enough?"
Seriously, WTF us the point if these awards. It's assbackward. Who needs the most motivation to learn, take risks, try hard, ask questions, help struggling peers, practice, feel good about their potential, and not give up? I'm an educator myself, and I truly think these ceremonies for the few are a terrible idea. |
Anonymous
Ps: Typing badly with my fat thumbs today. 
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Anonymous
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It is always a good lesson to learn to cheer for others successes.
That said, I think second grade is a little young for these types of awards. I wouldn't start them until third grade. |
Anonymous
| Disagree. The answer to that child should be. " you are plenty smart. But are you working your hardest and doing your best? No? Well next year you have another chance" |
Anonymous
Yep. I think at those ages it's about who worked the hardest. True intelligence comes out more in upper grades. |
Anonymous
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I'm with you OP. There's a similar thread about this in the Maryland schools forum.
I have a kindergartener who says all his friends, got awards and he didn't and he was crushed. Crushed! He's now saying how stupid he is. How is this okay to do to a child this age? Apparently they told the parents of the few kids who were getting the awards to come to the assembly but they didn't tell the rest of us this. If we had known we would not have sent our son to school today. I am not one of those parents who thinks everyone deserves an award but the reasons for the awards at our school were just idiotic and had nothing to do with how smart, well-behaved or hardworking the kids are. |
Anonymous
| I don't want my kids to be thinking about awards at all. What a weird way of orienting yourself through elementary school, sorting the "achievers" and "non achievers." It's thoughtless and counterproductive. |
Anonymous
| We don't have this at either of my kids' FCPS schools. Thank god. |
Anonymous
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um, the awards at our school for the younger grades were given to the kids who turned in their book reading lists every week. not the ones who read the most books. not the ones who are the best citizens or the best friends to their peers. not the ones who served the community the best. not the ones who are the smartest.
that has nothing to do with working hard. this is more about who has the more organized parent. impossible to explain this to a second grader. |
Anonymous
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I saw a friend's school had this.
Since my Kindergartener had trouble with phonics, I'm glad my school didn't. It seems weird to me. These are both DC charters. |
Anonymous
I'm curious to know what these awards are supposed to do. If children know who the smart kids are in class, an award is just confirmation that they are (or aren't) that person. If the kids don't know who the smart kids are in class, an award is either superfluous to the winner and/or demoralizing to the loser. It really just makes no sense at all to ask an auditorium full of children to watch their peers accept an award (while they themselves get nothing) that has little bearing (or works against) on the reasons why we want kids to be excited about learning and school in the first place. |
Anonymous
| They're not for the kids. THey're for the mommies and daddies. Some mommies and Daddies just really like to see their kids receiving awards -- because it confirms how brilliant mommy and daddy are. |
Anonymous
Bingo! |
Anonymous
| Anyone have any links to post to research on this? Genuinely curious here.... |
Anonymous