Sports or Academics -- is there a bias in your local school system?  | |  I'm really fortunate that both of my daughters are good students. One of the joys, in recent years, has been attending the academic awards ceremony at the high school. I have one daughter still attending there and I was waiting for information on the ceremony this past October. It has traditionally been held one evening each October to present the awards for the previous school year. It never came. I asked my daughter about it and she said she'd inquire at the office. She was given the brush off and told to speak to her teachers, none of whom appeared to have any information. I thought they had just abruptly given up the ceremony and I felt that was really disappointing.
Finally, I got a brief notice stating that the ceremony was going to be held on DECEMBER 20TH at 1PM! 5 days before Christmas AND in the middle of the day. That seemed so disrespectful to the parents. In any case, after juggling some things, I made it over there and, as you'd expect, there was only a handful of parents in attendance. A representative from the local paper was still invited, as were some guest speakers.
The ceremony was a disgrace. There had clearly been NO rehearsal because the kids didn't even know where to stand when they were called up on stage, nor did the presenters of the various awards. It seemed like a thrown together afterthought. Then, they announced they would start departmental prizes. These are given to the top students in each subject. Turns out, this time, there were only prizes for one grade (the prior year's tenth graders). Normally, every grade is included.
In the lobby afterwards, the younger students were visibly upset. Some were saying "I worked hard all year for THAT???" or "Why should I bother if only the tenth graders matter??". I felt so bad because they had valid points. I tried to speak to the principal but he was occupied. The moment I got home, I sat at my computer and wrote him a letter which my daughter hand-delivered the very next morning. I asked him to provide me with a written response (only because this man is very good at brushing parents off with curt phone calls). It's now a month later and, even deducting the holidays, I still haven't heard a word.
Our local high school has always been criticized for being a "sports school" and not an "academic school"... there's always praise and money for the sports teams but academic activities, like the robotics competition, have to raise their own funding. Money was raised and they painted a new logo on the gym floor. I think there needs to be a more equitable distribution... and I've always spoken positively of the school (even I went there, back in the day!), no matter what. I definitely feel they dropped the ball with the academic awards. Failure to recognize students' hard work seems wrong to me and I think I'm realistic in asking for an explanation.
What is the situation like in your local school system? Are sports teams or other groups given preference over academics? Are students recognized or encouraged for grades or school work versus extracurricular activities? Finally, would you have questioned the circustances as I did? I'd love any feedback you'd care to provide!
| |
| |
| | | | | | | | 1.  snowcat46 (1103) | 11 months ago |  I have questioned things like this. One trick might be to use the media against them. Talk to the newspaper. If they start investigating, a lot of things might come to light.
I know a lot of kids that have gotten upset over the school's preference system. One system gives a pop and candy bar to each kid, every week, that is in the special ed section. But the A students don't even get recognized. That's a heck of an example to set. "If you don't try, and don't achieve, you get rewarded. If you put your best effort out, so who cares?"
And the schools wonder why so many of their kids treat them like dirt? Hmmm.
| |
| |
|
|
| thinkingoutloud (2440) | 11 months ago | I've actually considered doing this, snowcat. The reporter who was invited to the awards ceremony is someone that I've come to know through local events and fundraisers and the like. I'm thinking maybe I'll drop him an email and inquire about his perspective. He's attended these events for as long as I have... he was a reporter even when I was in the school as a student, so he would certainly bring an informed opinion to the table. Thanks for the reminder! | |
|
| | | DC Area Attractions Find museums, national monuments, historic homes, wineries and more. www.fxva.com | add comment |
|
| | 2. vivasuzi (1844)  | 11 months ago |  Well the fact is, during the 4 years I was at my HS, no sports teams won any state championships and most didn't even come close...... even so they STILL got more funding then other activities. We had a couple of "stars" come out of our school that went on to real sports, but none famous enough for me to remember their names.
The point is, even if sports aren't doing well, schools seem to value them so much. I really think it is because of the publicity. If your HS star football becomes a pro football player, everyone remembers where he started. But if a star student becomes a world-renowned doctor, no one talks about HS because the medical school is more important.
That might not be why things are the way they are, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it:) For the record, our academic awards was always a school assembly, parents weren't invited.
| |
| |
|
|
| thinkingoutloud (2440) | 11 months ago | Agreed vivasuzi! The day of the academic awards, I happened to be in the washroom right after the ceremony ended. At that point, an announcement was made over the intercom... "We would like to congratulate..." and I was expecting them to say "our honor students and award winners who were just recognized in the auditorium" or, you know, something like that. But no -- what we heard was "We would like to congratulate the girls' volleyball team...." My daughter looked at me and said, "Well that was nice huh Mom? Not even a way to go for us? And we try really hard!" There was nothing I could say to that other than, "I know you do honey."
Oh and, yes, our academic awards and other ceremonies are always school assembly-based at the elementary level. At high school level, they have always been open to parents, family and invited guests. Last year, they even had an official photographer and parents were able to purchase souvenir photos. They've always made it a significant event. The irony is that, during his speech, the principal always challenges current students to be honor students for all 5 years of high school and, at graduation, they get a special certificate or plaque for this achievement. This year, in the lobby, I heard kids saying "Why bother? They don't care about us anyway"... it was sad.
I absolutely realize that there is much to be said for working hard and doing your best, without the expectation of recognition, but these are kids. Encouragement helps. Boosting self-esteem helps. Being supportive helps. I guess I'd like to see at least some signs of those things being more equally applied.*sigh*
Thanks for your thoughts and nice to see you again, vivasuzi:) I've been away for a bit... lack of time:( ... but I'm doing my best to post again. See ya 'round*grin* | |
|
|
| vivasuzi (1844) | 11 months ago | I can totally relate. They would make special days at school where we all had a break to watch the sports team's performance on Tape, but never made a big deal out of much else. Luckily our school was also a BIG proponent of Arts so the people in Art and the Plays also got A LOT of praise. Actually I think the Theater ppl got even MORE praise because they won a lot of awards for their performances.
It sounds like you had nice academic awards in the past. Ours were never that great. We didn't even have a photographer at our graduation!
I agree that encouragement does help a lot, especially for teens, but even for adults too. Kids can't get straight A's with will power alone, they have to feel like it was worth it. I hope you are giving your kids lots of support in that area to make up for it:) | |
|
|
| thinkingoutloud (2440) | 11 months ago | Oh I sure do! They know that they are 110% backed up by Mom at all times*grin* But, fortunately, they are hardworking girls, very motivated about their education, so I know I don't have as hard a job as some parents in that regard.
Want to hear something else that was sort of sad, in retrospect, about this event? The principal acknowledged the small group of parents in attendance and said it was clear that we were the ones that supported our kids and were always there for them. I wanted to say to him, "Hold on a second... you hold an event in the middle of the day at a time of year when many parents are not even ALLOWED to have time off from their jobs... and, in front of their children, who may already be disappointed that there is no one there to watch them get their certificate, you praise the kids' parents who might just have more flexible schedules??" I wish people would consider the impact of their words:( | |
|
|
| vivasuzi (1844) | 11 months ago | That is very rude! I bet some kids went home and told their parents that. Even if the event was at say 6 PM and the parents had 6 weeks notice - you should never say something negative about the ones that don't show. Even if the parents really didn't show because they didn't care, you still don't say that.
Oh well, I'm sure you'll be happy when your kids are done with that school and tell all your friends not to send their kids there. Geez! | |
|
| | Summer Camps for High School Students Give Your Teen a Fun & Enriching Summer at our Academic Summer Camp. HighSchoolSummerCamps.SuperCamp.com | add comment |
|
| | | | | |
| Find a Local School
Find schools on Google Maps. Hours, reviews, directions & more.
maps.google.com/golocal | |
Burn Up To 500 Calories
Read reviews for this business wit directions, offers and more
Washingtondc.Citysearch.com | |
Used Honda Sports Cars at Yahoo!
Certified Used Cars in Washington, DC. Shop for a Honda Used Car.
www.honda.com/yahoo | |
WA Appraisal School
Become A Real Estate Appraiser Now Quick & Easy Home Study Courses.
www.RealEstateLicense.com | |
Washington DC Tours
Customized Student Tours in the United States. Contact Us Now.
www.EducationalTours.com | |
Bartending School Maryland, DC, Virginia
Full Service Bar School always open/with abundant job leads.
www.bartending-school.com | |
Washington Dodge Dealer
Find New Vehicle Deals at Your Local Washington Dodge Dealer
www.DodgeDealer.com | |
Homes for Sale in Washington Local
Detailed descriptions of Homes for sale in the Washington Local and surrounding areas. This website offers all styles and price ranges.
www.toledohomesellers.com | |
|
