Is “High Achievement” a Bad Thing?
We all know that Palos Verdes students are high achieving, but is that a bad thing? According to one member of the PVPUSD School Board, the answer might be “yes.” Last night, at the regularly scheduled school board meeting, one of the action items was an informational presentation on college acceptance rates for high school graduates from PV. Three counselors from our district gave a presentation on the trends for college applications and admissions from the last two years. They discussed what factors go into college admission decisions. They presented comparisons of the performance between our district and similar districts. And they highlighted the important role that the College & Career Centers play in students’ journey toward post-high school life.
But that entire conversation was upstaged (in my opinion) by a comment made by one of the board members. In the context of a discussion regarding the concept of developing a holistic student, this board member said “I am one of those parents that is coping with stepping away from achievement culture.”
I almost couldn’t believe my ears.
I reviewed the video of the whole discussion the following day and I will grant that the board member did not seem to be specifically advocating for a lowering of standards nor championing the cause of ending achievement culture. Rather it seemed that she recognized a potential societal shift away from achievement culture happening and was coping with the effects of that in her own family. The difference for me is: I refuse to accept that shift away from achievement, and I know there are many parents who agree with me.
My wife and I moved to Palos Verdes specifically because the schools here were known for producing high achieving students. To hear a member of the school board eschew achievement as though it were some kind of an impediment to happiness and well-being shocked me. She instead seemed to prioritize ensuring that a student “feels” capable and presented achievement and mental health as though they were at odds with each other. My wife is a psychiatrist and mental health is an important topic in our family. We often have discussions about how to ensure we create a healthy environment for raising our daughter and we both agree: mental health and high achievement are not mutually exclusive. Based on what I heard last night, I’m not sure that all the board members would agree.
To illustrate, let’s look at an example that many parents might find familiar. Last year, at my daughter’s request, she started ice skating lessons at the LA Kings Ice rink in the PV Mall. On the first day, she fell so often and cried so uncontrollably that the instructor asked me to take her off the ice. Indeed, for several hours after that experience, my daughter was nearly inconsolable. If I had “stepped away from achievement culture,” I probably would have just cancelled all future lessons and prioritized her short-term happiness over the potential sense of achievement she might gain from continuing. Thankfully, we went back the next week. She still fell and cried, but this time not enough to cross the threshold of needing to take her off the ice. She kept at it, week after week, despite her initial discomfort and feeling like she couldn’t keep up with the rest of the class. Now a year later, she loves ice skating. She can easily chase me around the rink and she has signed up for ice hockey lessons. None of this would have been possible if I subscribed to the philosophy of being against so-called “achievement culture.”
It is also important to note that “high achievement” does not necessarily mean just getting good grades. A high achieving student can be someone who is continuously working at being her very best self. A high achieving student can be someone who challenges himself to try something outside his comfort zone. A high achieving student can be someone who does not give up when the going gets tough, who develops a positive mental attitude, and who creates her own grit.
We live in a high achieving school district. I believe most of that record is attributable to the parents in our community who place a high importance on hard work and whose kids internalize those values. But we also trust that the district administration and the school board have that same priority when it comes to policies that affect how our schools are run. What I heard last night made me seriously question whether some members of the board share those priorities. If you are a parent that values high achievement, or if you’re a community member that wants productive members of our society, seriously consider who you vote for in this upcoming school board election. My top priority is academic excellence and I am proud to say that I am solidly a member of the “high achievement culture” club.
