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EAST GREENWICH, R.I. —Citing concerns about the “exclusive nature” of the annual honors night at Archie R. Cole Middle School, school officials have decided to scrap the tradition.
Instead, students who would normally be recognized at the annual spring tradition will be honored during team-based recognition ceremonies and graduation.
The notice was sent to parents over the weekend in an e-mail signed by School Principal Alexis Meyer and Assistant Principal Dan Seger.
“Members of the school community have long expressed concerns related to the exclusive nature of Honors Night,” the email stated.
By having the recognition ceremonies during team-based ceremonies, it will “afford us the opportunity to celebrate the individual and collective success of all students and their effort, progress and excellence.”
At the same time, Cole varsity athletes will get medals and trophies at an after school ceremony.
Wait a minute let me get this straight – the kids who work hard and do well in school can’t have a night that rewards them because the kids who don’t do their homework will have their feelings’ hurt? There’s actually nothing surprising about this at all. Pretty much par for the course these days. Because under no circumstances is anyone ever allowed to have their FEELINGS hurt.
Take for example when these kids who are “excluded” go to apply for college. They will send out applications to any school they want to because the school MUST accept them. I mean, what’s the alternative? Turn them down? Obviously colleges don’t turn down any applicants because they’re not in the business of hurting people’s feelings. As a matter of fact, if Harvard can’t accept little Johnny because he has all C’s and D’s, then they’ll probably just close their doors for good. Because it’s not fair to have an exclusionary school that doesn’t accept everyone.
Next Johnny will go to a job interview that requires a Master’s Degree. But they don’t have one because they’re not good at school. So OF COURSE the employer will give them the job they’re not qualified for anyway, because in the real world no one ever gets their feelings hurt. And if the employer can’t give them a job because they haven’t met the qualifications, then they’ll probably just get rid of the position all together. After all, it’s not fair if one person who has earned the job gets it, but another person who hasn’t earned the job can’t have it. Because that would result in hurt feelings, which can never, ever happen in a civilized society.
Newsflash to all the parents who whined and complained that their loser kids couldn’t go to this honors night – your kids are fucked in life and it’s mostly your fault. The best way to learn in life is through failure. That’s what separates winners from losers. We all fail at some point. It’s what you do with failure that defines who you are as a person. Winners get up and try again. They keep trying until they can do whatever it is they’re failing at. Losers have a pity party and have their Mommy and Daddy complain to the principal about their hurt feelings.
And newsflash to the administrators – giving the kids who have earned the honors an award on graduation day is even more exclusionary than a separate honors night. At least with an honors night the kids who slept through Math class don’t even know what they’re missing. Now you’re gonna be giving them awards right in the faces of the kids who drew Sponge Bob cartoons instead of reading Johnny Tremain. So while their peers stand up and get rewarded, they will remain seated as a reminder of their shortcomings.
This is typical school administration. To make it in this field you have to be a professional politician. They’d rather give in to whining losers like these kid’s parents than take a stand and actually do what’s right. That’s why I don’t trust 99% of people that go into that field.
Check out what one of the parents left in the comments on this article:
The way honors night is currently held excludes a portion of the student body from participating in the celebration of their peers’ accomplishments. No one is taking away the awards or the honors that typically get awarded on honors night. The change in practice with how the awards would be given was intended to open up the celebration and participation to the entire student body. You have two dedicated administrators who spend countless hours thinking about, caring for, and trying to do what is best and right for all students. You have a problem with the issue? Fine. Express your disagreement… Advocate for what you think makes sense… BUT – Keep it about the issue! Keep it solution oriented! Your children pay attention to how you conduct yourself. Think before you speak. Think before you act. Think before you post! Think about what you model for them. Do you want your example to be cruelty and extreme over reactions, or appropriate respectful problem solving strategies? THINK!
Yup, that about sums it up right there. Basically this woman, who goes by the name “Jan Modge” believes that under no circumstances should her underperforming child be excluded from anything. Ever. Clearly we should celebrate her child for their outstanding achievement of mediocrity. Newsflash Jan Modge – the administrators didn’t care for what is best for all students. They actually didn’t care for what is best for ANY students. They did what was easiest for them, and that was to cancel the night so you would stop calling and complaining. It was a gutless move designed to get you to shut up.
If the administrators REALLY cared about the kids then they’d keep the night as it is. The kids who did their homework, studied for tests, worked hard, and earned good grades would be honored for their sacrifices. All students would learn that when you work hard in life you get rewarded. But instead they’ve given kids a false version of reality, where the world caters to failures who can’t handle having their feelings hurt. Now they won’t know how to deal with failure because they’ve been taught by the adults in their lives that failure results in the same outcome as success. So no, the administrators could not give a fuck less about your kid or any of the other kids. They’re just lazy.
The bottom line is that this is why we’re losing to the Chinese in everything. Back during the Cold War we had to beat the Soviets to everything. They put Sputnik in outer space? Fuck those assholes, we’re going to the moon!! And guess what? You’re not getting to the moon by giving everyone a trophy. You’re getting to the moon by investing in and rewarding the best and the brightest.
I’m gonna make one last analogy to a show that Turtleboy’s wife loves – Dance Moms. You know why Abby Lee Miller Dance Studio always wins? Because losing isn’t acceptable. Abby Lee Miller may be a disgusting and vile human being, but she produces winners. Your daughter forgot the song? Hope she likes getting publicly humiliated by a 250 pound behemoth of a woman. That lady gives zero fucks about the feelings of a bunch of nine year olds. Unfortunately for that reason, she’d never hack it as a Middle School Principal.
Feel free to share your thoughts to keep the conversation going.
