Participation Trophies Send a Dangerous Message

Betty Berdan is a high school student of a third grade in Connecticut, and has since participated in competition sports ever since.

Like many other children of my age, I acquired a trophy after the trophy, won a medal after a medal, and after each ribbon in the sports season, I attended a science fair to attend a science fair I spelled on. Today, dozens of trophies, ribbons and medals are in the corner. My room collects dust. They do not make much sense as I know that the same award can be placed in the other kids' rooms in the city, and they may have millions of other families nationwide.

Given 1st, 2nd and 3rd trophies, participation is permitted but blessed in words instead of trophies.

The trophy was only awarded to the winner in the past, but now it is only a profit of the party: not a reminder of the experience, but a real achievement. When prizes are distributed to all children participating like candy, their value decreases. If all the football players acquire a trophy just to practice and participate in the game, truly excellent players will be despised. The same applies to the team. All participants are granted equally regardless of their individual efforts and good skills.

Everyone's trophy tells children about inaccurate and potentially dangerous life information. We are all winners. This message is repeated every year at the end of each sports season and can be strengthened only by gathering constantly stacked trophies. We are starting to expect rewards and praise to appear, such as classes, exercises, after school work. Beyond the protected childhood bubble, everyone is not the winner. In my work, in my class, my expectation is to do my best to end my homework and exercise. And it is not worthwhile value. These are the foundation of a long way to potential success and no matter how much effort I make, I do not guarantee success.

I think that we should change how we reward our children. Given 1st, 2nd and 3rd trophies, participation is permitted but blessed in words instead of trophies. In sports and life, there are only a few people who actually have space on the winner's podium.

Discussion on whether children are good at participating in trophies is ongoing. The decision by James Harrison to return these trophies is only one of many answers to the trophy "fads". However, by looking at the long comment part of this article, it is easy to guess that his view is universally accepted. The answer is no. Simple participation should lead to a rewarding idea of ​​damaging perception of children's accomplishment and creating adults who are not ready to face frustration because they have to work hard. However, as many people with the opposite view say, it is important for children to know that there are "winners" and "losers", so in the sense that participation in the trophy is bad There is none. Placing a trophy for a genius or admiring those "winners" can have a greater negative impact on children.

Everyone's trophy tells children about inaccurate and potentially dangerous life information. We are all winners. This message is repeated every year at the end of each sports season and can be strengthened only by gathering constantly stacked trophies. We are starting to expect rewards and praise to appear, such as classes, exercises, after school work. Beyond the protected childhood bubble, everyone is not the winner. In my work, in my class, my expectation is to do my best to end my homework and exercise. And it is not worthwhile value. These are the foundation of a long way to potential success and no matter how much effort I make, I do not guarantee success.

In today's society, children have the opportunity to participate in the trophy. Trophies are not just about participation. The trophy should be a symbol of success and pride. The goal is to earn trophies only if it is achieved by hard effort and determination. Give the children a trophy to participate and understand that they do not have to work hard to get a successful idea. A generational trophy has created young people of generations. It leads to a box of participating trophies shining so far as to spill out from a millennium desk