David Mccullough's Speech 'You Re Not Special'

In “Losing is Good for You,” Ashley Merryman argues that society should stop handing out trophies for participation and instead let your child loose sometimes. Merryman states, “today, participation trophies and prizes are almost a given, as children are constantly assured that they are winners.” She later goes on and says that children who are given so much praise will crack “at the first experience of difficulty.” In her opinion, she does not believe that every child should be given a trophy because it will affect how they handle a different task. She claims that children would be better off losing than winning, and she also think that children should not get a trophy for everything they compete in.

There was absolutely nothing that could set me apart from the sea of designer purses, overly expensive shoes, and cherry flavored lip glosses. In high school, it seems if you weren’t marginalized into a group or follow the status quo you were seen as the misfit. One day, I experienced an epiphany in the back of my Government class, I wasn’t content with the illusion of the perfect teen. I had acceptable grades, I was well liked by most of my student body; however, I couldn’t come to the terms that I neglected what really mattered to me. At home my family would describe me with words such as: “eclectic, unique and remarkable.”, but at school I conformed into a person with a lackluster personality. I reckon that college is a place where each student is not the same and has the ability to be their true selves without being judged. This being, another reason why I respect your institution on the importance of accepting different cultures and

To start, trophies are a thing that was brought into this world for people who win a game. sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman says, "That first participation trophy, it does mean something, especially among the younger kids. The children see them more as symbols and remembrances of an experience," participation trophies are for people who earned it, not for people who didn't do anything on their team.

Imagine being on a baseball, soccer, ect. Team and getting a trophy for just being there. Say you practiced non stop to be really good at that sport but when it is time to get rewarded everyone gets a trophy, even the kids who never practice or hit the ball. How would that make you feel? It would probably make you upset because you put your time and effort into practice. Recently people have been arguing over if kids should or should not get trophies for just showing up. There are multiple reasons I do not think kids should get trophies for just showing up.

In the article “Dangers of an ‘everyone gets a trophy’ culture?” Ashley Merryman interviews thirty seven children to see what they think about participation trophies. One kid, Levey Friedman, said to Ashley Merryman “Well, I kind of purposely played in this esiar one because I knew I would win and now I don’t really count that as a real victory because I went in and I knew it was below my level.” In other words Levey Friedman only played on the lower level sports team to win. One year when I played soccer we only won one out of thirteen games. At the end of the year we got our trophies and awards and now every time I see the soccer trophy it just reminds me of how bad our team was and how bad we did that season. Kids know when a sport is below their level so it's dangerous to think that everyone's a

Is giving kids participation trophies beneficial to children, or motivation killers? Many people all around the U.S. have their opinions for both sides of the discussion. James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has weighed in on this topic. In many people’s eyes, his beliefs make a lot of sense, they understand where he’s coming from and what he is speaking about. Carol Dweck also made a statement to NPR about her belief’s on the topic. There are millions of important facts that need to be talked about with this epidemic: an estimated fifty-seven percent said “only winners” should receive a trophy for participation in kids sports, giving out participation trophies is tantamount to giving kids the wrong kind of praise, and this

As students, freshmen come into high school knowing that they are hated by every upperclassmen in the school, with the exception of some friends and possibly family. The freshmen don’t understand why they are disliked, and most of the upperclassmen can’t tell you why they despise the freshmen, except for some unproved responses such as: “They’re annoying”, or “They’re so immature”. This sequence occurs every year. As the freshmen turn into upperclassmen, they too develop a hate for the incoming freshmen. This relationship is common on a larger scale as well; older generations view the younger generations as annoying, dumb, and immature. Dealing with three generations today, we have the omniscient Baby Boomers (1946-1964), impious

Merryman voices “A recent study found if parents thought failure was debilitating, their kids adopted that perspective” (Merryman). It is the parent’s job to teach their children how to accept participation awards correctly. That losing is not that bad. Merryman goes on saying “If parents believed overcoming failure and mistakes make you stronger, then their children believed it, too” (Merryman). That statement pressures the idea that whatever the parent’s opinion on the matter is transferred to the kid. That kid will go on to work harder and not need the participation trophies to be an objective. The success of the children depends on the

In an age where everyone is expected to be recognized, there must be an understanding that the world does not progress by congratulating the “average.” I believe that giving participation trophies makes people stop competing; especially if the trophies are given at a very early age. For example, a team of small children have a terrible baseball season, but it’s okay! Because the coach gives out trophies to everyone. This in turn only teaches the child that no matter how bad life gets, they will always be rewarded. Participation trophies create future generations of entitled adults as seen by today’s generation. We need to reward kids that work hard for what they do for the sake of risk and reward. That is simply how progress is made in society. Yet I agree with one point made by the opposing side. I believe that participation should be recognized sometimes. Participation can teach kids that teamwork matters in every little aspect of society. Participation trophies should be eliminated but participation should still merely just be recognized with a pat on the back as said by Betty Berdan, a high school junior from Connecticut. Participation trophies overall hinder the growing and learning process of kids; whether it is through sports, or any other competitive involvement.

The general argument made by Berdan in her work, “Participation Trophies Send A Dangerous Message,” is that participation awards commemorate individuals for everyone being a winner. More specifically, Berdan argues that distributing participation trophies to all participants diminishes the meaning of the first, second, or third place trophy. She writes, “When awards are handed out like candy to every child who participates, they diminish in value.” In this passage, Berdan is suggesting that rewarding children constantly with a trophy decreases the value of the trophy that the actual winners earned. Personally, I agree with Berdan because I agree with the concept that providing children with constant rewards sends a dangerous message later in life. On the other hand, writer Eric Priceman defends his opinion that these continuous awards are a necessary part of the education process for young children and will benefit them to strive for better. More specifically, Priceman argues that there is a difference between an award and a reward; he states that an award is given for achievement while a reward is given for accomplishment. He writes, “Just syntax maybe, but anyone that has ever achieved at the highest level has had to endure multiple levels of accomplishment first.” In this passage, Priceman is suggesting that people who have reached the highest levels of trophies and medals have also been encouraged along the way with things such as participation awards. He describes the action of distributing participation awards similarly to encouraging phrases that motivate an individual to strive for greatness. Despite his argument, I believe Priceman is wrong because rewarding children with a meaningless trophy or certificate provides no benefit for them in their future. More specifically, I

As Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”(“Stutman”). Losing is tough for a child at a young age, especially when the losses are simultaneous piling up. A trophy would then be a reminder that they worked hard throughout the season with their teammates. “Being there for your teammates and those in your life, when it suits you or when Saturday morning cartoons look like a lot more fun, is a lifelong lesson that cannot be taught to young” (“Heffernan”). 57% of American children claim that they deserve a trophy after they participate in a team sport, after all, it is the children that are playing (Hill). It’s something they can show other people; therefore, it creates awareness of a skill or attribute, an activity that they have accomplished. By giving children trophies, they often get the message that they are accountable and feel proud of their

When I think of trophies, I think of winning. The first thought that jumps into my head is that someone is great at a sport, or someone has an amazing talent. But is that how it should be? I don't think so. According to Parker Abate, a long-time athlete and writer for the New York Times, "the trophies that are given to less-talented athletes who participate in youth sports do not have to say “1st Place,” “M.V.P.,” or “Champion.” These young athletes should be honored in lesser ways and all deserve to feel some form of accomplishment." I completely agree with Abate's thoughts on the subject; self-esteem is a huge part of life, and watching a teammate receive a trophy while not receiving one yourself can be extremely degrading. I believe trophies should be given to all participants in an activity regardless of their abilities because it will give them all self-confidence, remind them of their activities, and because they deserve to be rewarded for their work.

That is what I think the participation trophies are doing to kids. When I was a kid my dad was always my coach during sports and if we were ever given those trophies he would tell the people that we did not want them. Maybe some kids so not understand the meaning of them but on my team we all did. “Giving everyone a trophy will not prepare them for the real world.” - Ashley Merryman, the co-author of “Nature Shock: New Thinking About Children.” I agree with her 100%. When kids do not try hard in the real world, they will most likely be fired from their job. If they are just given trophies they will not learn that sometimes they have to do more than just show up. There was an Olympic Gold Medalist say “losing was the best thing that ever happened to them, because it made them want to work harder.” Now I do not know who it was that said that but it makes complete sense.There has been some conversation about Kevin Durant just trying to find an easy way to get a trophy. In 2016, Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder and went and played for the best team in the league the Golden State Warriors. I think that is exactly what he did, he did not earn that trophy. Everyone hated what he did because the Warriors beat the Thunder the year before in the playoffs. Earning the trophy is the best feeling ever. When I was a kid when my team would not win a game, it made us want to come out the next game and try even

Some people got the wrong message. A student doesn't get an A just for going to class. An employee doesn't get a raise just for arriving to work on time. Shouldnt only hardest- Performing athletes get the accolades? If we keep giving the student athlete trophy then they will lose their meaning when everyone gets one. Some people emphasize that trophies are not an effective way for coaches to motivate players ''receiving a pat on the back and a thumps up from the couch.'' Any show of appreciation will make kids come back.

Participation trophies are changing kids ideas of winning around the globe in many ways. First off, it gives children the wrong impression on working or putting an effort towards something. Trophies are something you should have to earn. Life doesn’t give you a participation medal, you have to earn it (Website #2). Kids just need to learn that