Librarian wants to ban 5-time reading champ from contest 11

[SantaMufasa]

Librarian wants to ban 5-time reading champ from contest. What are your reactions to this?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[mscallisto]

It's like telling Bobby Fischer he can't participate in any more chess matches because he was too good and someone else should have a chance to win. You can substitute Fischer with any number of talented others like Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Bill Gates, Henry Ford etc.

The librarian was wrong IMHO.

sam

 

[kwbMitel]

We had a similar issue at an old workplace of mine. Every year at the annual Christmas party there would be awards handed out. One of the awards was the Spirit award for the employeee that best exemplified team spirit and morale boosting. Naturally, there was one employee that was far beyond everyone else and she won the award 5 times running and would have continued to win for as long as she was eligible. My wife (a Librarian BTW) came up with the elegant and appropriate solution that was obviously overlooked by everyone in the case posted. The award is now named in honour of said employee and was presented by same until her retirement. (much to her delight)

In another personal anecdote, my eldest was an avid reader and every year there was a Summer Reading Contest hosted by our local Library. For every 15 minutes a child spent reading, the Parent could check off a box for completion. I think 10 boxes allowed for a submission into a draw for a prize. My son would do the 150 minutes required in an afternoon. He would typically read 1 to 2 novels a day during the summer. Rather than submit his name 3 or 4 times a day, I instead told him he would get 1 submission per book. (These were Harry Potter Sized books BTW). He still won a prize every year and once the grand prize so it was a win win all around.

Suffice it to say, from my experience, I think everyone involved messed up. There was an opportunity here to teach a child how winning isn't everything and a positive situation is now in chaos. For shame.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[strongm]

Myself and a friend got banned from a regular pub quiz some years ago for much the same reason - to give other people a chance.

 

[CajunCenturion]

I fully believe the librarian is wrong, but it's indicative of "no fail", "competition is bad" policies that are become so pervasive. It feeds the entitlement mentality. Rather than award the winners who've earned their prizes, let's just redistribute the prizes.

What lesson is that teaching? It's teaching that hard work does not pay off; that doing the very minimum offers equal opportunity of winning. What it's not teaching is reality.

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[kwbMitel]

@CajunCenturion

I'm not sure I agree with your entitlement mentality. I agree that it can be perceived this way but there are actions that the Adults can take to ensure that all parties come out ahead. My personal solution when faced with the same situation was handicapping. Handicapping is a widely accepted as fair competition even in betting situations such as horse racing. In my situation, my child learned a lesson in fair play and got a shot to his ego at the same time. I do not believe that winning is the end all be all of life. It's the journey that matters. I've always taught my kids that if they think can win something easily then they need to challenge themselves to win at greater odds. What's the point if it isn't a challenge?

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[mintjulep]

The whole point of such competitions, or team and individual sports, is to teach the lesson that hard work, dedication and perseverance are commendable traits that are awarded. Awarded not only in the context of the sport or competition, but in life as a whole.

The now pervasive "everyone's a winner" or "you get a ribbon just for showing up" mentality teaches instead that that there is no reason to work hard or try your best because every slacker gets the same reward.

That's socialism.

The librarian should be fired.

 

[SkipVought]

What we have is a trend toward equality of outcome versus equality of opportunity.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[kwbMitel]

The whole point of such competitions, or team and individual sports, is to teach the lesson that hard work, dedication and perseverance are commendable traits that are awarded.

I strongly disagree with this. Too many reasons to list. I know this will be unpopular but I really believe that winning is NOT the whole point.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[mintjulep]

The whole point of such competitions, or team and individual sports, is to teach the lesson that hard work, dedication and perseverance are commendable traits that are awarded.

I strongly disagree with this. Too many reasons to list. I know this will be unpopular but I really believe that winning is NOT the whole point.

Please highlight where the word "winning" appears in my statement.

Winning shouldn't be the whole point, but it damm better be the GOAL.

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> I agree that it can be perceived this way but there are actions that the Adults can take to ensure that all parties come out ahead.
It can be perceived that way because it is that way.

The fact that adults have to take some actions to ensure that all parties come out ahead is telling. In other words, it's not a matter of rewarding those who have earned those rewards; it's a matter of "adults" artificially manipulating the situation so that everyone gets rewards. It teaches that participating entitles one to a reward.

What it is not teaching is that rewards are the results of your own labors. It teaches that what you get out of a situation is NOT a function of what you put into the situation. It teaches that no matter how much or how little you do, the outcome is determined by some outside force (in kwbMitel's case an adult) deciding what outcome allows everyone to come out ahead. That is precisely the entitlement mentality - that whoever is in charge owes you and everyone else a favorable outcome.

==> It's the journey that matters.
By your own example, it's NOT the journey that matters. How can the journey matter when regardless of what journey you take, or don't take, the outcome is ensured that all parties come out ahead?

There is nothing wrong with handicapping, but keep in mind that handicapping first acknowledges the differing skill sets of the players, ALL the players are handicapped based on the same criteria, and all the players know it's a handicapped competition. The competition is no longer about who has the greatest skill; it's about who can best overcome their handicap.

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[CajunCenturion]

==> that winning is NOT the whole point.
I don't believe anyone said that winning is the whole point.

My point is not about winning, it's about being properly rewarded for your actions. The whole notion of entitlement mentality is that whoever or whatever is in charge owes you a positive outcome. That's crap. If you want a positive outcome, then it's your responsibility to put in the effort to make the outcome positive. That doesn't mean you win, necessarily; it means you get what you deserve, not what someone else thinks is a fair outcome for everyone.


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[djj55]

Welcome to the new world order. When someone who does not want to work gets the same handout that someone who wants to work but cannot, we have a problem.

djj
The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23) - I need someone to lead me!

 

[kwbMitel]

Here is the message I am hearing from most of you.

Somehow, if the person who is best at something does not get his due then everyone else is a slackard.

I call BS.

I believe this situation could have been handled much better but to impune the efforts, integrity, work ethics, and dedication of the other participants and label them as you have is just as bad.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[SkipVought]

It has nothing at all to do with the participants' efforts, integrity, work ethics.

It has to do with the official running the show and the implcations of regulating the competition as stated.

The ultimate results might very well affect the morale of ALL the participants, including the reading champion, if they conclude that reading is not the challenge that it could be in a free competition.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[mintjulep]

Here is the message I am hearing from most of you.

Somehow, if the person who is best at something does not get his due then everyone else is a slackard.

Then you're not hearing correctly.

When the loser gets the same due as the winner it is the loser who loses out.

There are relatively no teaching opportunities in winning. "You did great, congratulations. Let's go get a pizza."

There are teaching opportunities associated with losing.

"The other team beat your team because they executed plays as a group where as your team acts like a bunch of individuals."

"Jimmy beat you because he stays for extra practice when you decide to go home and play XBox."

"Even though you're bigger and strong than Billy he pinned you because he learned the double-bazzoka whammo hold."

Taking away these teaching opportunities makes us as a society weaker.

Taking away the sting of losing fosters the "who cares" attitude, and dampens what should be a basic human drive to find what you are good at and excel at it.

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> to impune the efforts, integrity, work ethics, and dedication of the other participants and label them as you have is just as bad.
To which post(s) are you referring to? Who has been so critical of and has so labeled the other participants?



--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something. - Plato

 

[kwbMitel]

==> to impune the efforts, integrity, work ethics, and dedication of the other participants and label them as you have is just as bad.
To which post(s) are you referring to? Who has been so critical of and has so labeled the other participants?

If you don't see how the arguments regarding entitlement and winners and losers is labeling the other participants and finding them wanting then no arguments on my side will convince you otherwise.

BTW, you've also totally misunderstood my point. I was never advocating that everyone should win or everyone should have an equal chance. Go back to my first post for context 3 Sep 13 22:40. There are ways that this issue could have been handled whereby everyone could walk away happy. I was never referring to the other participants only the parties that are now unhappy. I think the Librarian was wrong in how she handled it. I think the Parent was wrong both before and after and unfortunately, the kid is stuck in the middle.

Winning does not need to be the goal. Doing your best is a better goal and let the chips fall where they may.

Anyone who tries their best, and does not win, is much better off than the winners who get by without even trying.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[carp]

Using the same logic as the librarian, the New York Yankees would have been excluded from the World Series somewhere around 1939, since they kept winning and the other teams couldn't keep up. And next, I suppose somebody is going to tell me that scoreless soccer and baseball are not fantastic ideas. As somebody already said, the change in emphasis has been from equal opportunity to equal outcomes, and this is simply wrong and destructive. The kids who give up trying to read the most books because "they can't keep up" and "Tyler always wins" will be tomorrow's 99 Per Centers. Thank goodness the torch has been passed!

 

[mscallisto]

Winning does not need to be the goal.

The librarian set the rules and offered rewards for the best performer thus making it a contest thus expecting a winner.

Doing your best is a better goal and let the chips fall where they may.

Well that's exactly what the young boy did but the chips ain't falling in his direction.

Just saying, not criticizing, but I really don't understand your logic.

Sam