There’s Nothing Unhealthy About Competition
Political Correctness run amok in Kentucky:
School districts in Kentucky are beginning to move away from naming valedictorians for graduating classes.
Instead, districts such as the one in Bullitt County have plans to de-emphasize what could be seen as unhealthy competition and recognize all high achievers.
Most everything in life is competition. We compete for jobs. We compete for status. We compete for love. We compete for fun. In many ways, competition seems paramount in human existence – or for life in general, really. Competition is not unhealthy – though like anything in life, it can be done in an unhealthy way. But I don’t see much argument that a simple ranking is an unhealthy form of competition. And what is the purpose of school if it excludes opportunities for learning about something so fundamental?
Moreover, this may also harm the ability of top performing students to get into the universities of their choice, another aspect of life that is unquestionably competitive. All around, just another example of silly political correctness overwhelming good sense.
Posted by Brian Garst on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 1:08 am
Filed under Education Tagged with Kentucky, political correctness 
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I am a libertarian-conservative blogger living in the DC area. I have a Master's degree in Political Science and work in public policy for a non-profit.
I wonder if they are going to eliminate "unhealthy competition" in their athletic programs?
Maybe visiting schools could be given a handicap score to make things even for
football, basketball baseball games and track and field events???
Sadly, I think some have already done this.
Yeah, let's just get away from that pesky "un-healthy" competition and not teach our children that they have to work hard to succeed. Also let's not teach them how to deal with "loss" so that when they do lose in work, love, or even life, they don't go as they say, "Postal" and do something crazy as they don't know how to deal with it. What an obnoxious theory.
If everyone gets a gold star, then no one does.
Are the Kentucky administrators competing to become the dumbest administrators in the country? Because they seem to be winning that race ;=(