It’s Parent-Teacher Conference time again, which means both parties get to share positive and constructive feedback (neither of which is mutually exclusive, mind you). After such a conference earlier today, a friend of mine lauded her friend for telling the 2nd Grade Teacher, “Oh, I just don’t care if she (her child) is smart…I just want her to be well liked and average academically.”
I do not know the mother, the teacher, nor the child, but I am all too familiar with that mindset, as it has become overly prevalent in our society. Replace “well-liked and average academically” with “well-mannered and challenged academically” and I agree 100%. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather be “well-liked” than the alternative and there are many things at which I would rather be average in than my academic proficiency level. However, a 7-year-old who is taught that the ultimate goal is being “well-liked” or who is encouraged to be average may never be either well-liked or average. There are circles I would prefer my child not be well-liked by, as much as I would want him to be respected by. I am not an advocate for making enemies, but should we care if bullies, burnouts, or slackers particularly like our children?
Well-liked, average business owners often times go out of business. Well-liked, average athletes often times find themselves on the bench. Well-liked, average students often times find getting into their college of choice overly challenging. We have little choice but to accept mediocrity in many aspects of our life, but we need not encourage, nor embrace it. I think we would all agree that as parents and teachers we should collectively build a nurturing environment that demands well-mannered behavior and continually challenges our children. A truly nurturing environment helps our children to reach their potential (which may very well be average and that is OK) and produces a person that cannot be anything but well-liked by contributing members of society.
- When might being average an acceptable objective?
- Would you rather be well-liked or well-respected?
- Is the goal in school an average result or a challenging experience?
I personally believe that being "average" doesn't exist. Everyone is amazing at something. I think we should remove the word "average" from our dictionaries honestly. It sends the message that if you aren't good at anything 'yet' that it's okay and you can stop trying. Oh, so okay, you aren't good at something specific and you can't contribute to a specific cause on the level that you should. Okay? And? Find a different cause. To accept that you are average means essentially accepting that you don't have a place in this world. If you are GOOD at what you do and it makes you happy whether be it working at McDonalds, your occupation is a Janitor, you don't make a lot of money etc. that's okay. It's NOT okay to choose laziness simply because you haven't found what your passion is yet. I realize that isn't what you meant, but I'm simply stating to emphasis my point.
I say being average is NOT okay. But not being good at something naturally IS okay.
One of my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein: “Everybody Is A Genius. But If You Judge A Fish By Its Ability To Climb A Tree, It Will Spend Its Whole Life Thinking It’s Stupid.”
I can rewrite it as such: “Everybody Is Amazing At What They Do. But If You Judge A Fish By Its Ability To Climb A Tree, It Will Spend Its Whole Life Thinking It’s Average.”
So absolutely not do I ever want to hear somebody tell me that they are average and they are okay with that. You are amazing and you have the potential to change the world in your own way.
-Zach