Read "Harrison Bergeron" to These Idiots

An AP story appeared in today's edition of the Sunday Gazette-Mail describing the assault on school honor rolls and other traditional means of giving recognition to academically excellent kids. This particular story focuses on Tennessee, which seems to have multiple issues with such things. One is legal - the state's very broad privacy laws may prohibit the release of any academic information without the permission of the parents. That can be easily fixed by parental waivers or a change in the law.

More troubling is the idea that such honors should be scrapped because they might "become an apparent source of embarrassment for some underachievers." GOOD! I'm well aware that some kids have trouble in school for reasons that are not their own - learning disabilities, shitty home environments, etc. - but that is no excuse for punishing the kids who are excelling. Embarrassment can be a powerful motivator. Besides, if kids can be acknowledged for almost everything else they can do in school (i.e., athletics), why not for academics?

We must guard against the creeping demand for mediocrity under the guise of "sensitivity." For a hilarious example of just how far that can go, read Kurt Vonnegut's brilliant "Harrison Bergeron," a story of government forced mediocrity. It is, of course, satire, and thus exaggerates for effect. Nevertheless, I don't want schools churning out a steady stream of "average" kids. I want exceptional ones, too, because they will be the leaders of the next generation. They are there, if only the system doesn't squeeze the life from them in the process.