And The Award Goes To...

It's that time of year again where academic honors and awards are handed out for hard work done well.  But sometimes our well-intended accolades come with unintended consequences.  Students who strive to be the best often become stressed, frustrated, and even burned out with school.  The question we should be asking: Is it really worth it? Research tells us that valedictorians are hard workers.  The same research tells us they are not necessarily the most academically gifted though.  Moreover, a large study conducted on valedictorians tells us that valedictorians rarely go on to create change in society.  They do become quite successful, but only by following a prescribed set of rules and expectations.  A similar study tells us that most of our top leaders could have actually been considered underperformers in high school or college. In today's episode, I'm joined by current middle school principal Charley Cass to talk more on the awards season.  We take a look at this from the perspectives of educators, students, and parents.  Charley brings us stories from his experiences as a building leader at the middle school and high school levels.  Don't forget to visit www.escottengland.com for references from today's show along with reading a little bit more about Charley.