Read about it on Barstool Sports-
And the Pussification of America Continues: Ipswich Principal Cancels Middle School Honors Night In Favor Of All Inclusive Assembly Because He Doesn’t Want To Hurt Kids Feelings Who Didn’t Make It
While I’ve come to respect that the use of the word retard is unacceptable I pretty much agree with everything else written in the post on Barstool Sports.
This is my take on the whole participation awards for everyone vs MVP award whether it be in scholastic or athletics:
By doing away with MVP awards of recognition because kids get their feelings hurt you are creating generations of kids who never feel the need to try harder to push themselves.
Listen, there were not many more awkward looking, physically ungifted teens than your boy Joey C. I was and am a terrible, terrible athlete. When I was in middle school I figured out early on that with my scrawny body and braces and zits that I better work on other things that I could control like being funny or studying harder in school and pushed me to hit the gym to pack on a little muscle.
Not everybody is going to be a great athlete but by pointing out who is good at what and not telling kids what their strengths and weaknesses are they think they are equal when clearly some kids are better math students, some people are better athletes, some people are better artists. To get an award for simply showing up how the heck are they ever going to know they suck at certain things and should focus on things they are good at.
Not rewarding hard work is just straight up counter-intuitive to being an American (or at least that’s the way it used to be before the commies took over).
We gotta toughen our kids up and stop giving them outs every step of the way.
Good Morning Gloucester 
I’m sorry. Those kids earned their night! I think we take politically correct to far.
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I am guessing the Principal was under pressure by some who advocate that public activity can never exclude access to any one for events in the public space, its legislated in many instances and the schools are the first line. I am also guessing there are no kids who wish to go to the event who are not getting an award. The good news is the kids no the difference between inclusion and patronization.
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As an educator I am appaled that barstool would even use the term retard in an article to describe that anyone in middle school should be labeled retard for not making the honor roll. As a teacher that has been honored by students at honors night many times , I can vouch for the fact that this is a very special night for all the proud families. However I think that besides having that special night a school assembly at the end of the year to celebrate the accomplishments of the honor students is also a good idea. We certainly celebrate all our athelets, so why not our scholars as well. This could also be a motivation for others to want to be honor students.
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The students already KNOW who the awardees are or would be. They’re not dumb. They are with each other 5 days a week, for the entire school year.
As a teacher, I totally agree with your comment. To be so PC, as to take away an awards night, when those who’ve earned the honors should publically be able to receive them — for themselves & their family’s pride in their achievements — is beyond ridiculous.
If someone’s feelings are ‘hurt’, by such an event being held, maybe that principal can tell us HOW they are going to ‘deal’ with the reality of the real world & how it works, when it hits home? And, it will.
Whatever happened to celebrating individual differences, talents, & abilites?
I think the parents should hold their own honors get-together — & anyone who wants to attend, can.
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Unfu&kn believable – how did we go from our grandparents being that of the greatest generation to this is such a short time?
PAMF’ers – figure it out –
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I agree with you Joey. Enough with all kids getting a trophy just for showing up!
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Fire this moron of a principal. When everyone is a “high acheiver”, no one is a “high acheiver”. Socialism at its best, equality of outcomes for everyone!
Wait until these kids get into the real world.
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Kids of Middle School age need to learn how to handle issues. We cannot become a nation of helicopter parents.
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When you get your news filtered through FoxNews then quoted by barstool sports you end up getting it wrong. No one was getting an award, “just for showing up.” The principal was not giving out awards to everyone (or increasing them at all). He wanted to move it to a daytime celebration so that all students could go to it and watch the over-achievers get their awards. What is wrong with that? (Personally I think the sports awards are always overdone and that trophies should be handed out for scholastic achievement but that argument isn’t going anywhere so I’ll shut up about that.)
And although you did point out that using the word retard isn’t cool I think it invalidates anything barstool says about the topic. Barstool wants to enrage its readers and by reading the highest rated comment who does say “I am enraged” he has pushed the anti-PC button adroitly. Kudos Barstool for enraging your readers by using language that makes stupid people laugh and getting the story wrong but who really cares since politically correct, aka, being human, is so out of vogue these days. (And here I am speaking of Barstool’s idiocy, Joey points out their idiocy.)
The real story: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/20/17389354-that-massachusetts-school-that-canceled-its-student-awards-no-it-didnt
Or maybe I am just still mad I only got an honorable mention on my middle school science fair project. 😉
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