They Like Themselves (too much?)

A recent USAToday story reported that graduating seniors of the 2006 class are much more optimistic about their chances of success in marriage, employment, and a host of other areas. While this seems to be good news (who wants a bunch of depressed teenagers wallowing around?) some are concerned that the boost in self-esteem is the result of over-praising by parents, teachers, and coaches. I think these researchers are onto something, and the following two statements may be indicative of why the younger generations are fairly impressed with themselves.

First, every kid gets a trophy. The trophy used to be the prized possession of the true "winners"- those who succeeded and accomplished the most in a given season/event. Now, everyone is a "winner" and everyone gets a trophy.

Second, there are teachers around the country who are refusing to grade papers/exams in red ink because red ink supposedly induces a negative psychological reaction. When a student sees red ink on a returned exam or paper, they know they did something wrong, and we just can't have that. So many teachers (none that I've ever had, thankfully) are grading in softer colors like, purple, green, and blue.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, posted an entry to his blog that examines this issue and his insights are worth heeding:

"In recent years, some observers have warned that children are not well served when parents lavish them with inordinate praise or with unrealistic assessments. The culture of earned recognition has given way to sports teams that award a trophy to every player and to contests in which every participant wins.

"As they grow older, some children turn cynical about all this. They just begin to discount what their parents, educators, or other authorities tell them. Eventually, reality intrudes in the form of college admissions, athletic scholarships, or other dimensions of merited recognition. It may be that every player on the 8th grade team gets the same trophy, regardless of performance on the field. All that changes when it comes time for college athletic scholarships, however. Those are not passed out without regard for performance."

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