Mediocrity RULES!

There is NOTHING more frustrating to me as a Public School Teacher is the embracing of mediocrity! It is the thing that sends me over the edge quicker than anything. I had to sit through an assembly today and watch students receive awards that did NOTHING to earn them. These students basically got a thanks for showing up, doing nothing, and filling up our allotment needed to get more tax dollars award. YAY YOU! You didn't even have to try on your tests or do school work. You didn't have to get a long with your peers, have good behavior, or push yourself to excel at any level. However, if this boosts your self esteem to get an award you didn't earn,some people will feel nice, warm. and fuzzy inside. Yay them!

In the meantime I was just undermined as a professional. Since these folks have decided to give awards for mediocrity, you no longer have to pretend. You can sit back be disrespectful and be comfortable with the fact that all you have to do is show up.  Isn't it awesome that you are so great for another teacher but do not demonstrate this ability for your own teacher or classmates. That makes you more deserving of an award. Obviously, your teacher is just mean for expecting more out of you. It is clearly a fallacy for your teacher to expect you to do your best in every situation to receive an award. That mean lady, how dare she expect more of you. How dare she think that you are undeserving.If I had to choose an award for this student it would be for mastering learned-helplessness.

So why do I show up to a job in which I cannot do what is right. How can I go tomorrow and have any expectations of this student when all the work I have put into raising the bar was tossed out. When the bar just crashed to the floor rolled down the hallway and out the door. We just failed this student. We failed society. We failed his future employers. We just sent him a powerful message. Failure is an option, and if you embrace it you will be rewarded. Hmmm I wonder what the future grownup will think when life gets hard, because it will.

I brought this up to an administrator. I was talked to about ratios of awards when I questioned the validity of giving awards to that many students. When I questioned that I have 4 students I could choose out of my 25 and an entire small group could receive one. Deserving or not. Then I received an e-mail with a breakdown of the ratios as I obviously do not understand ratios. I haven't read it because really it wasn't about the ratios as much as attempting to get the point across that I have 24 deserving students that didn't receive an award. The ones who did, their awards were turned into a joke when they looked at who received one with them. The students knew.  We have a culture of mediocrity at our school because we enable, make excuses, make exceptions, and lower standards. I am beyond frustrated.