Sunday, February 11, 2007
The worst thing to do to a kid:
is to tell them that they are the best. Yea i sound like a meanie but i am a realist. I think my style kills the ego and encourages humility.
Yesterday fluffielady had a dance troupe competition at the K.A.R. (Kids Artistic Revue) National Dance Competition. First problem was that it is labeled as a National Dance Competition, i suppose there is truth to it because they work around the nation. It's not the National as in finalists from the nation flock here to battle it out.
So KAR's big thing is that the dance teams aren't competing against each other but more against themselves by a point system, yet they use the point system to rank the teams. Confused? This brings out the second flaw, there doesn't seem to be many second place people. Theres 4 rankings you can get, i'll try to simplify it by corresponding it to Scholastic Letter grades.
A = Top Elite 1st Place
B = Top 1st Place
C = 1st Place
D = Top 2nd Place
F = No award (i assume)
So of the 4 dances that fluffielady's kids do, every time they got 1st Place. In some categories theres 2 1st place followed by a top first or a top elite first place. Yep thats right, everybody's the best because everybody is 1st place. No more first loser, no more hey thanks for trying have this 'participation' award. Nada.
This appeases the parents, because to the public their child got 1st place in the NATIONAL dance competition. Dang sounds superpro huh? Yep, it also gets to the kids' brains that they are the best. Which results in 2 possibilities, 1) Strive for more, work harder, get even better (Top elite 1st place?) or 2) Tell everybody your the best, that it was easy cheese, and therefore i don't need to strive for more, screw you guys, i'm the best, i scored 1st place, and i don't need to work anymore i have 'natural' talent and skills.
i've always learned that there is ALWAYS someone better than me. I find it true with every hobby / sport that i do. I may be better than some, but there are some who are better than me. It's the natural evolution of things, when i'm 55 i might be in the high-master class in High Power, sure, but i probably won't be doing any halfpipe or mondo snow jumps at that age either. We all can dream, but at least do it in a more proper way.
is to tell them that they are the best. Yea i sound like a meanie but i am a realist. I think my style kills the ego and encourages humility.
Yesterday fluffielady had a dance troupe competition at the K.A.R. (Kids Artistic Revue) National Dance Competition. First problem was that it is labeled as a National Dance Competition, i suppose there is truth to it because they work around the nation. It's not the National as in finalists from the nation flock here to battle it out.
So KAR's big thing is that the dance teams aren't competing against each other but more against themselves by a point system, yet they use the point system to rank the teams. Confused? This brings out the second flaw, there doesn't seem to be many second place people. Theres 4 rankings you can get, i'll try to simplify it by corresponding it to Scholastic Letter grades.
A = Top Elite 1st Place
B = Top 1st Place
C = 1st Place
D = Top 2nd Place
F = No award (i assume)
So of the 4 dances that fluffielady's kids do, every time they got 1st Place. In some categories theres 2 1st place followed by a top first or a top elite first place. Yep thats right, everybody's the best because everybody is 1st place. No more first loser, no more hey thanks for trying have this 'participation' award. Nada.
This appeases the parents, because to the public their child got 1st place in the NATIONAL dance competition. Dang sounds superpro huh? Yep, it also gets to the kids' brains that they are the best. Which results in 2 possibilities, 1) Strive for more, work harder, get even better (Top elite 1st place?) or 2) Tell everybody your the best, that it was easy cheese, and therefore i don't need to strive for more, screw you guys, i'm the best, i scored 1st place, and i don't need to work anymore i have 'natural' talent and skills.
i've always learned that there is ALWAYS someone better than me. I find it true with every hobby / sport that i do. I may be better than some, but there are some who are better than me. It's the natural evolution of things, when i'm 55 i might be in the high-master class in High Power, sure, but i probably won't be doing any halfpipe or mondo snow jumps at that age either. We all can dream, but at least do it in a more proper way.
Labels: End of the World
Comments:
Post a Comment
