Calgary school axes honour roll, saying it often hurts ‘self-esteem and pride’ of students who don’t make it

[jmyrlefuller]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/29/calgary-school-axes-honour-roll-saying-it-often-hurts-self-esteem-and-pride-of-students-who-dont-make-it/

by Reid Southwick and Trevor Howell
October 29, 2013

Roughly 250 students in Grade 7 to 9 will no longer compete for the honour roll after St. Basil Elementary and Junior High School axed academic awards and year-end ceremonies.

“Awards eventually lose their lustre to students who get them, while often hurting the self-esteem and pride of those who do not receive a certificate,” school officials said in a letter to parents explaining the decision

The school’s letter to parents cites the work of education guru Alfie Kohn, who contends that “dangling rewards in front of children are at best ineffective, and at worst counterproductive.”

(excerpted)

[flowers]

    

[Cincinnatus]

St. Basil Elementary and Junior High School is, or claims to be, a Catholic school.

The mission of St. Basil School is to support the development of each individual with the support of the resources available, provincial laws, and the moral and spiritual guidance of the Catholic Church.  This includes the reinforcement of the knowledge, skills, behaviours and desire for truth, which prepare one to live eternally with God.

"Development" and "reinforcement" apparently do not include recognition of achievement.

http://www.cssd.ab.ca/stbasil/

[xfreeper]

ax the school officials instead

[Atomic Cow]

I hated the honor roll when I was a kid, because I always got C's in math since it is just my crappy subject.  Got A's in everything else.

But instead of whining about it, I just tried harder.  Today we're raising a generation of wusses and wimps.

[mountaineer]

But instead of whining about it, I just tried harder.

Exactly. Now whining is rewarded.

[jmyrlefuller]

Exactly. Now whining is rewarded.

Don't even get me started.

I remember back in high school of certain classmates of mine (usually very high achievers) always asking for a retake every time I managed to outperform them on a test. Sure enough, pretty much every time they asked, they got to retake the test after school.

I never whined about things that I struggled with (mostly homework; I was exhausted after school).