Moves like this one always amaze and infuriate me.

NEEDHAM, Mass. -- Needham High School has abandoned its long-standing practice of publishing the names of students who make the honor roll in the local newspaper.

Principal Paul Richards said a key reason for stopping the practice is its contribution to students' stress level in "This high expectations-high-achievement culture."

The proposal to stop publishing the honor roll came from a parent. Richards took the issue before the school council, which approved it. Parents were notified of the decision last month. Richards said he received about 60 responses from both parents and students and the feedback has been evenly split for and against.

After all, it isn’t about learning and growing – it is about making kids feel good about themselves, regardless of whether or not they have anything to be proud of.

Then again, maybe I'll respect this more when the school district bans reporters from athletic contests and orders the athletic department to quit supplying statistics/scores to the media. After all, we wouldn't want some kid to get hurt feelings because he/she failed to excel at some sport, would we? Furthermore, it would relieve stress on kids living in this high expectations-high achievement culture just as effectively as cutting the honor roll does.

Posted by: Greg at 01:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 239 words, total size 2 kb.