Imagine if you lost the chance of being Valedictorian by .00154 points: that would make you bitter. Or, what if you were one of the thousands of kids named Valedictorian? It would not be that special. There is no good solution to this because there will always be at least one person who is not satisfied with the results. The author of "The Annals of Education: Best in Class" attempts to show that the problem is not with the title of Class Valedictorian, it is the competition behind it.
When the rules to get Valedictorian were just getting the best grade point average and having the most credits a student figured it out and sneakily took easy courses to earn more credits, and won the coveted title. When others realized what happened, and parents found out, they sued the school in hopes that their kid could possibly receive the title, even though that would not even mean anything in a college where most of the students were top high school achievers. After the scandal was exposed, the students hated the kid that plotted his way to being class Valedictorian because they believed that somehow this strategy made him a cheater; even though it was actually a brilliant plan. If he was the only one smart enough to think of that, then he deserves the title of Valedictorian.
Another problem behind the title of class Valedictorian is that so many people have complained about there being only one or two people to earn the top academic titles when others' grades are only thousandths of a point away from the title. To answer this complaint, some schools decide to give the title to all the kids with a G.P.A. of four or above, but then it does not mean anything to receive the title and makes the reward less of an honor. These schools' attempt to make things fair has effected the awarded students' college experience when they compete with other college students, since it makes their title less meaningful as a mark of their intellect.
Everyone should look at the title of Valedictorian as an honor instead of some prize to fight for. "Cheryl Barker still marvels at how hard Kylie worked, how determined she was, how she never missed a day of school, how she’d go to the library all the time to use the computer because they didn't have one at home. Barker thinks that it was a mistake for the high school to stop naming a valedictorian and a salutatorian" (Talbot). A student who works hard, is very determined, never misses a day of school, and practically lives in the library is the kind of person that should be honored with the title of Valedictorian, and it's really sad that Kylie's mom, Cheryl, can't see the gift of her child without thinking that she should have to win some award. She should be proud that her daughter is a driven girl that has an incredible chance to be accepted at any college and just leave it at that. Whether or not Kylie has a title, her determination will surely help her succeed in college and later.
Since it is not even going to matter, later in life, whether or not you were the Valedictorian, then students shouldn't fight so hard for the title, when it's their G.P.A. score that really matters. If someone earns the title, they should just be honored and if not, then they should shrug it off and move on. A difference of .00154 points shouldn't make anyone bitter when that amazing score still shows up on their G.P.A., and if a student is named one of the thousands of Valedictorians, then he or she should be honored that they earned that title.
(Words: 571, without quotes)
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