Overacheiverism: Me vs. Them
Man oh man has it been a whirlwind for the past couple weeks. It will probably continue to be that way too, until I turn, oh, say, maybe 70. I just finished reading The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins (amazing book if anyone is interested) and our generation is completely swept up in the overachieving mentality. In high school, the top people battled it out hardcore. I went into the guidance office bi-weekly to see what my GPA rank was. I HAD to beat Trish Shorey. I needed to have that third spot. Did it feel good to get it? Yes. Did I absolutely need it? Well, that depends on how much my GPA had to do with my scholarship to UMF. When I started college, I was told that to get into grad school, you had to get all As and be involved in a lot of different clubs. Was this true? I am sure that my GPA had a LOT to do with my getting into Brown, but I could have applied and accepted at other schools too and have been fine. The activities look nice on a resume, but I guess I didn't get sucked up into the "must have a finger in every pot" mentality like I did in high school. SAC has meant a lot to me; some of my great friends have come from participation in the club and I have met some pretty hysterical perspective parents/students. Now, as I prepare for grad school, I wonder how much of an overachiever I will be there. It's Brown for Pete's sake. Who am I kidding? I will be a total overachiever.
The students in my classroom don't seem to be affected with this mentality as much when it comes to academics. Sure, there are students in the tracked class (there is one tracked ability class out of the four I see each day) who fight for every point they earn, but the majority of them are satisfied with passing. It makes me wonder if this is positive or negative. For all of the stress that overachieving brings, isn't a little competition good? I'm not talking cut-throat, I have to cry because I got a 98 and Bobby got a 99, but seeing how much you can achieve through your academic work. One girl told me the other day that anyone who liked learning about ANYTHING was a total geek. People only learn so that they can pass school and forget about it. Call me a full-fledged geek then. I would rather get entertainment out of knowing things than not care at all. So, it begs the question: is my group of peers better off or are my students? Shouldn't there be some sort of happy medium? Maybe not directly a "medium," but happy should be somewhere in there.
On a totally unrelated note, happy has been a very large theme in my life for the past couple weeks. Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday or has congratulated Beck and I on our engagement. It means a lot me to know that you all are that excited about it! I am swamped with end of the year work right now, but I have had a serious case of directed senioritis toward wedding planning. That's right hunny, you will be getting swamped with ideas soon! Mwhahahaha! I know we won't be getting married for a few years, but it's never too early to start thinking about what we might like to do...
Ok, back to grading papers. Senioritis has taken a serious toll on the amount of grading I have done. Overachieving right now? Nope!
The students in my classroom don't seem to be affected with this mentality as much when it comes to academics. Sure, there are students in the tracked class (there is one tracked ability class out of the four I see each day) who fight for every point they earn, but the majority of them are satisfied with passing. It makes me wonder if this is positive or negative. For all of the stress that overachieving brings, isn't a little competition good? I'm not talking cut-throat, I have to cry because I got a 98 and Bobby got a 99, but seeing how much you can achieve through your academic work. One girl told me the other day that anyone who liked learning about ANYTHING was a total geek. People only learn so that they can pass school and forget about it. Call me a full-fledged geek then. I would rather get entertainment out of knowing things than not care at all. So, it begs the question: is my group of peers better off or are my students? Shouldn't there be some sort of happy medium? Maybe not directly a "medium," but happy should be somewhere in there.
On a totally unrelated note, happy has been a very large theme in my life for the past couple weeks. Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday or has congratulated Beck and I on our engagement. It means a lot me to know that you all are that excited about it! I am swamped with end of the year work right now, but I have had a serious case of directed senioritis toward wedding planning. That's right hunny, you will be getting swamped with ideas soon! Mwhahahaha! I know we won't be getting married for a few years, but it's never too early to start thinking about what we might like to do...
Ok, back to grading papers. Senioritis has taken a serious toll on the amount of grading I have done. Overachieving right now? Nope!