I can’t speak much to being the “smart kid” in school. During my scholastic career, I was at best a C+ to B- kind of student. But, I did have a few friends who made straight As, and I have to tell you, once I found out just how much pressure they put themselves under, not to mention all of the sacrifices; I did not envy them one bit! Many kids who focus solely on schoolwork, run into a number of issues. Sure making good grades looks good (literally) on paper, but the hidden costs can be devastating. The most visible casualty is often a child’s social life, as many straight-A students can feel ostracized from their classmates, and the fact that they spend so much time studying doesn’t help them make or maintain friendships either.
However, another developmental skill that can suffer due to the pursuit of academic perfection is creativity. You see, creativity often means taking chances, trying new things. And straight-A students are less likely to think outside the box, especially if they know what “works” to get them the best grades. They are more likely to stick with the “tried and true” when it comes to individual assignments than explore something completely new. This attitude can result in safe and boring people who may actually end up stifling creativity in others when they become older.
Image via YouTube
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not making a case against students who make the best grades they possibly can, I’m just pointing out some of the potential downsides. And as this story shows, you can’t place all straight-A students in the same box. Recently, a 12-year High School teacher in Whitesburg, Kentucky named Winston Lee, shared an extraordinary post on his Facebook page about a straight-A student in his class. The Letcher County Central High School history teacher was grading a stack of tests on World War II that he had recently issued to his 11th-grade students when he noticed a hand-written note on one of the exams. It read:
“If you could, can you give my bonus points to whoever scores the lowest?” the student had written. Winston describes this student as a “Straight A guy,” but he still couldn’t believe the generosity the kid displayed. “I was pleasantly surprised,” Winston said. “He is the type of kid that would often show compassion in the classroom.”
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Winston was so moved by the student’s incredible gesture that he decided to share his student’s heartwarming note on Facebook, where the image has since gone viral. The teacher captioned the post:
One of my guys, a straight A+ guy, offers up his 5 bonus points to someone in need. Anyone. Totally offering up what is rightfully his, his earning, to any peer that may have been struggling especially hard the day of the test.”
Image via Facebook
What an absolutely inspirational story of empathy and selflessness. This skill is something I believe our schools need to teach more off than any other subject. Far too often, we drill such a zero-sum competitive drive into students that they grow up thinking only of themselves and no one else. As a society, we won’t last very long unless we turn this attitude around. As the saying goes, “United we stand, divided, we fall.” Here’s a video about this story.
