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Life is not an activity for passive spectators

I recently attended an awards ceremony at a high school in the city where I live. The ceremony was, in my opinion, yet another example of the contradiction between what educators say and what they do at schools.

The principal of the school, the deans, and many teachers exalted again and again the academic virtues of the students who were about to receive an award. However, at the end of the ceremony, those who received most of the awards were students known by their athletic performance, not by their academic achievement.

In fact, the two students who received the “Outstanding Student” award were (what a coincidence!) the quarterback of the school football team and one of the leaders of the cheerleaders.

Both students are, of course, very popular at school, but they are not particularly known for having a high understanding of theory of knowledge issues or for the long hours they spend in extracurricular activities outside school.

I’m sure these two students are excellent persons and very dedicated to their sports-related activities. They are young people working hard to create a future for themselves, and part of their strategy is being popular.

The issue is not who they are or what their do, but how they unwillingly become an example of the contradiction inside schools between praising and promoting a high academic performance, only to give awards to those who are popular because they are popular.

I am sure many students who focus intensely in their studies are neither expecting an award nor wanting to become popular. But the double-talk at schools means those students are being taught during for years that they should work to get good grades, but the awards later go to popular, attractive, and photogenic people.

Please, allow to be clear and remove any doubts: there is nothing wrong in wanting a career in sports. In fact, that’s how many students deservedly receive scholarships to cover their college studies. Not a problem.

The problem is having school administrators and teachers who say one thing and then do something different. They promote academic achievement, but they reward popularity, fame, and applause. The stereotype crashes the merit, and actions overrule sayings.

The conclusion is that schools are truly preparing students for real life, a life where every week thousands and thousands of people rush to get the latest copy of a magazine that illustrate sports, but comparatively few people experience the same level of expectation while waiting for a new report about physics or astronomy.

For those students who are not gifted in academics or sports, those who are neither brilliant minds nor popular athletes, the message is that they are relegated to become spectators of whatever their more talented classmates do.

However, that shouldn’t be the case. I firmly believe that each person, regardless of age, education, ethnicity, or color of skin, is in this world to be a leading actor. In real life, unlike Hollywood and the Oscars, there is no room for supporting actors.

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