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| Drawing by Carl Vander Yacht in NY Times |
Re: Self Esteem: So what do you think of the reader's opinion about "Trophies for All"? Pros and Cons?
Read the "Trophies For All" article and state your opinion, and also make sure you read the original article ("Losing is Good for You"), with link provided embedded in the first letter response by Vaughn Carney, that prompted these letters to the editor.
I'm interested in your views....Submit below and sign your response!
Due Wednesday, 10/7, end of day.
Trophies For All
I think that competition is very important and as stated in the article giving everyone the same trophy waters down that competitive spirit. Youth games and leagues are one of the most low risk ways for children to first face failure. Coming to grips with failure and developing good coping mechanisms is a crucial step in proper development. I personally think its not a bad thing to fail or for kids to feel bad as long as we are also teaching them how to deal with that failure. and how to bounce back from it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading both articles I do have to agree with the fact that not everyone should get a trophy because it really does take away the entire point of a trophy. A trophy is a sign on outstanding work and accomplishment and something to show off to others, but if everyone receives the same mount of attention then not only does that not motivate the losers to improve there game to get to that prize but it also keeps the actual good players from even trying anymore. Think about it, if you know you'll get the credit from doing something even without trying, then why would you try in the first place? of course a 5 year old kids feelings are going to get hurt, they're 5! but instead of being lazy and not wanting to deal with your upset kid, you should try and teach them that losing doesn't mean to give up, it means you should try harder to succeed, because life's hard, and you're going to lose more than you win, so instead of trying to cover up that fact, we should start embracing it to kids at a young age so when it happens to them later on they will be ready.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of these articles that equal trophies should not be given out no matter the outcome. When each kid gets the same trophy even though they won or lost, this causes kids not to get better. The kids that are above average will start to under perform because they know they are getting the same trophy as the kids that are below average. The below average kids won't try to improve because they know they will receive the same award anyway. This creates laziness and no self-motivation to the younger generation. This also does not help them learn how to handle losing or how to bounce back after a loss. This creates an issue because these ideas when they are kids will carry over to their adult life. There are not all equal awards in the real world. The people that perform above expectations and continue to work hard will be the ones getting the raises for their jobs, not the below average worker. So competition should still be implemented in the younger generation to prepare them for when they are older.
ReplyDeleteChandler Shryock
After reading the original op-ed essay and he additional article, I have come to the conclusion that I strongly agree with the position of the argument. I recall from my childhood experiencing the same things. I have countless ribbons from my gymnastics meets that I did nothing for and I have medals for "participation" for my 3rd grade CYO volleyball team. By awarding every child that participates on a sports team the special, awarding feeling is eliminated. Kids never learn that working hard pays off properly. It teaches kids that they don't have to try their best to achieve something. The kids that do try their best are taught that working hard just gets them the same place as everyone else. In my perspective this is kind of skewed way. Though awarding them surly eliminates the whining parents and the fussy loser, its doing more bad than good. A little healthy competition will go a lot farther than the "everyone is a winner attitude."
ReplyDeleteAfter reading both the articles I completely agree with the argument that not everyone should get trophies. Kids on a loosing team even get trophies! Now growing up playing sports we would always fight and try our hardest since getting free food and a trophy was worth the effort because before a trophy and party actually had meaning behind it. Now that people are lowering their standards for "medal worthy" effort it seems that children are being taught being a loser is alright because either way, win or lose they get a reward. Now the kids on the winning team have no satisfaction from winning, all they get is an extra pat on the back that would of came from loosing as well. Now kids aren't being taught to fight with their heart and to give a challenge their all without backing down, minimal effort is being put in and they are expecting the best result out of it. They are beginning to not have a sense hard work and what reality is! If you ask me getting a trophy needs to go back to how it was before.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is trailing many countries because so much of society refuses to demand results from those around them. This starts in early years during T-ball and Junior Hockey because parents do not offer constructive criticism, but rather praise any effort put forth. Competition is important, and if a parent does not want there to be a winner or loser then they should not enroll their child in a program where the objective of the game is to score more runs than the other team. Activities geared more toward these families would be joining a league that just plays catch, or going to the batting cages. None of them would be satisfied with either of these activities but if they complain about the competitive spirit of a competitive game then they have no right to be involved. The problem here is two-fold. First, praising a child for participating and awarding them for mediocrity does nothing to further their growth, but there is a second problem here. Parents fall short if they rely on awards to encourage their children instead of doing so themselves. Such encouragement as simple as, “Your fastball is getting so accurate now, I can’t wait to see how many strikeouts you throw next season.” Instead, these parents are telling their children they should have received a trophy and that all teams are equal. The worst part is that the parents not only fail to do their job encouraging growth, but have the audacity to get offended when competitive leagues do their part. You, sir, have no right to be offended.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Clay
I agree to the articles to an extent. I agree because you should give EVERYONE a trophy. The winning team should just get it because they worked hard for it. They deserved it. On the counterpoint, the other team attempted to try to win. If it comes down to two teams, they both should get one. However, if you are in a tournament, and you are the first team you should not get a trophy. For swimming, I would get participate places if I came in tenth or worse. What is the point of handing them out? You want a collection of blue’s, red’s, and white’s (first, second, and third) not any other color. They are handing them out “oh look you swam but you suck at it. You didn’t place.” I do not think a kid should get participation places because it essentially causes the children to feel upset and discouraged. I know that because it happened to me. Not just in swimming, but basketball and volleyball. I also believe the attitude people have toward playing the game is bases on your peers, parents, and coaches. If they give you negative comments, they are setting you up for failure. On the other hand, if given positive feedback, they will do better and will actually want to try.
ReplyDeleteIrina stadalsky
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both articles. Competition is required for growth. It doesn't always mean that if you fail something you're bad at it, no, it means that if you have the will to try something, then you have the will to practice or succeed in it. Giving out trophy's to the losing team does nothing but serve as a constant reminder that they failed at something or, however they see it, as a way to work to turn it into a bigger trophy. But giving them the same trophy is just as pointless as giving them no trophies. If you worked so hard to get where you are in a sporting event and you finally win that's something that is worth a medal. You gave your all and you came out on top, but everyone getting the same trophy after the same game regardless if you won or lost? You might as well give them a cup of water and a pat on the pat because it serves no purpose now. It leaves them wondering "I worked my ass off for that?" Anyone who is offended that they are bad at something and or are not trying hard enough have absolutely no right to be offended.
ReplyDelete-Matt Ackerman
I completely agree with both articles. Giving an award to a kid in a losing effort simply puts in their head that they don't ever have to succeed because everything will be handed to them. Once these kids that have everything handed to them reach high school and college, they are in for a rude awakening as nothing is handed to them (generally speaking). Competition is what drives this country, so why soften the younger generations by giving them everything they need even if they did not earn it. Sure there are pros to giving every kid a trophy, but they are meaningless. This $3 billion-a-year industry is literally built around handing kids meaningless awards. My view is that only the kids or team that performed at the top tier of the team or league should receive trophies for excelling at what they do. Older generations say that the younger generations are turning soft, but there are many processes that go on in which the older generations are the cause of this softening of character and self-drive.
ReplyDelete-Anthony Dechoudens
I agree with the articles presented in the sense that the true "winner" should be the only person to receive a trophy. This is seen to be effective in the workforce where the reward of Employee of the Month is seen, where the top employee gets recognized for their work. Although this is true, employers often go to contenders of the award and let them know of their appreciation for the work done. This along with recognition for smaller achievements gives employees incentive to work harder to further impress their boss and advance their role in the group. This is not necessarily giving every person a trophy for every little thing they do, but a pat on the back for hard, successful work creates nothing but a group of people willing to work hard for the better of the group. Anyone willing to work hard has the ability to be successful, and anyone unwilling to work will find themselves out of the group without seeing much reward or recognition as deserved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article. It is completely meaningless for everyone to get a trophy, it makes the winners who actually won feel like they didn't even win anything. If we don't teach our children at a young age that the world is a very competitive place then when they get older they will struggle in life. Children thrive on competition it shows them a sense of accomplishment when they actually win what they are working towards. Also it shows them that if they don't win that they need to work harder and what to work harder on. If everyone receives the same reward for a certain feat then that shows the ones who are working really hard that they don't have to work as hard because they are only gonna get the same reward as people without working for it and vise versa for people who don't work for things in life.
ReplyDelete-Christian Burke
I agree with both articles. If we hand all children trophies they will never fully understand what it means to work hard for something. I have experiences at my previous job where there were people who thought they should be handed promotions without even working hard. These people would then get angry when someone who was a hard work got the promotion instead of them.
ReplyDeleteI feel that failure is not always negative. Without failure we wouldn't learn how to better ourselves. It takes a lot for someone to get up after failure and to try again. If we don't show our children what failure is when they are younger they're not going to know how to deal with it when they our older. The world we live in is very competitive. There is always going to be someone better than you are. This is where we come up with practice makes perfect.
I believe we shouldn't give children trophies. Instead we should give them constructive criticism. With this we not only could point out some of their good qualities but we could offer them ways to improve. Constructive criticism is also used through out our lives so it would be good if we taught our children at a young age how to properly handle it.
-Natalie Podojil
I agree with the article 100%. I grew up doing little league sports. At the end of the year everyone would receive the same trophy or the same plaque. At first when you're younger it seems pretty cool that you know you will receive a "prize" at the end no matter the talent or effort you put into what you are doing. However, when you get a little older and the participation prizes stop, it seems as everyone who doesn't receive that trophy its a little more devastating. When everyone gets rewarded, it makes people not want to work toward their full potential. What would be the point if they are getting rewarded anyways. Participation doesn't prepare you for real life. Whether it is school, a sport in high school, or your career, once you get to a certain point there is no such thing as participation. Going to class won't get you on dean's list, scoring a touchdown won't make you the player of the year, and showing up and doing your required work for the day won't get you employee of the month. So the fact that people get rewarded for just being there is ridiculous. How do we expect society to accept defeat if we recognize everyone.You can't be successful by just being present, and you can't learn how to succeed if you can't learn how to fail.
ReplyDelete-Jessika Boyd
I agree with the article and what the author has to say. This world and our society we live in is filled with failure. Not one individual can win at everything he/she does. One needs to experience failure to grow and improve. The author used the example of sports especially with younger kids like little league or soccer to represent the win/lose system. Those were perfect examples to represent a win and lose situation. Those who win at a sport or anything else in this case I believe deserve to receive a trophie because they worked hard. Those who lose should not receive a trophie, but should have a motivational talking with, in this case praise what the individual person did good or team and then follow with what they/he or she can do to improve and win next time. I feel losing is important to learn about in this society because how our world works today.
ReplyDeleteThis was published by Nicole Chabra
DeleteSo here is the way I see "both teams are winners". I think that in any type of competition there is a winner and a loser. When there is a winer = the win something wether it being a prize or a trophy, then there are the loser = you lost you don't get a prize or a reward for losing. I think by doing this both teams are winners will be setting up younger generations to be more lazy because as kids they were taught even if I don't get the job done I still get a reward. So I strongly do not believe in both teams being a winner.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and then the letter's to the author, I have come to the conclusion that both teams can be winners, just as Alex said above. First of all, as stated in the article, kids need to know a sense of real-world pain in order for them to grow as adults so they know the difference between right and wrong and also so they are able to accept difficulties that they may face throughout adolescence. Also, I do not believe in both teams being a winner because then kids won't be able to take no for an answer, as well as being used to having things handed to them. So, with all of that said, I personally do not believe in the whole "everyone gets a trophy" thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Merryman in the article. I honestly believe that we should encourage kids, but i also think that if we give a trophy, it has to stand for something. so give a trophy to every kids that play the game, will automatically diminish the value of the award and the hard done by the winners. So giving kids trophies for achieving something, such as improving in a sport, or excel in school, will teaches kids the value of hard work and trying their best.
DeleteBoubacar Ide
After reading the article and comments, No I do not believe in "equal trophy rights", but I do believe in a small treat for playing in the game especially at a young age. Everyone needs to know how it feels to loose. If not, they will think that everything in life would be equal. It will make you work harder and harder because no one wants to be known as a "looser". It will make us stronger in the long run.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Patterson
I agree with the article. There is no reason that every kid needs a trophy. There should be one trophy for the winning team. Giving a trophy to a kid no matter if they win or lose is like giving them a homework assignment and telling them that no matter how they do they will get an A. Why would the kids want to try to win if they knew they were going to get rewarded in the first place. Giving rewards to the people who deserve it show the kids who didn't do well the incentive to do better the next time around. You can never live and learn in the real world if everything is handed to you.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I believe that there should be competition in children sports. How would they ever learn discipline or what it feels like to lose if everybody wins and everything is fare? When the children get to the bigger teams, that has win or lose games, most of them probably wouldn't know how to act if they actually lost because they are so use to winning even if they didn't really win. I also think that its good that they care about the children feelings when it comes to losing.
ReplyDeleteDe'Asja Higgins
After reading this article. I believe the losing team should get a good effort or something for playing the game because they are kids and they should all get a little jog out of playing the game. But I believe the winning team should get more tropics or medals for winning the game and as in the best player, more home runs, and so on. I believe that's going to make the kids want to win more to get more recognized then just getting a nice job.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the losing team should not get a trophy or the same as the winning team. If everyone got the same thing you would be rewarding them for not doing as good. This could lead them to just not trying or caring because they know that the will get the same thing. By only giving the winning team, runner-up and maybe the 3rd place team a trophy it will give the kids something to strive for.
ReplyDeleteAaron Brodnik
I feel that all kids should get some sort of recognition for playing sports. It boost a child's ambitions and desire to strive for better. To not give a child anything for playing his or her heart out would only dull a child's wanting to be apart of group activities or sports all together. Aundra Glover
ReplyDeleteGood point
DeleteI feel that all kids should get some sort of recognition for playing sports. It boost a child's ambitions and desire to strive for better. To not give a child anything for playing his or her heart out would only dull a child's wanting to be apart of group activities or sports all together. Aundra Glover
ReplyDeletei think that everyone should get them because it could give them motivation to do better next time and it will help there self esteem
ReplyDeleteMalcolm Ferguson ^
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