Order of merit
I was reminiscing with my former high school classmates on a popular digital platform when someone reminded us of one of the time honoured traditions in school.
After retuning to our familiar stomping grounds after a restful holiday from school, we were greeted by a list of how we had fared in final examinations the term before, listed in order of merit.
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While some looked forward to returning from vacations to luxuriate in their leading position with the public acknowledgement of their academic ability, others purposefully delayed their return hoping that the list would be taken down before their arrival, mitigating their shame.
The top position typically went to the young men who were known as “sharks” of the class, while the lower middle and bottom was crowded with school athletes,dancers, class clowns and drama enthusiasts.
Wonder
I sometimes wonder how the idea of shaming students with limited academic ability and exalting traditional academic prowess with a public display of weakness vs strength became part of our culture.
Interestingly enough, the same individuals who were "shamed" for scraping the bottom of the academic hierarchy during examinations made our schools proud at intercollegiate athletic games (INTERCO) and other extracurricular activities.
I have matured to understand that the narratives have to be rewritten. Now, we have come to understand that intelligence is not limited to the domain of individuals with a knack for mathematics and the hard sciences.
Infact, sociologist Howard Gardner introduced the world to the theory of multiple intelligences, opining that there are eight types of intelligence (visual – spatial; linguistic-verbal; interpersonal; intrapersonal; logical-mathematical; musical, bodily-kinesthetic and naturalistic.
If we reframe the paradigm to fit Gardner’s theory, the Home Science student with a knack for sewing has as much value as the literature student who enjoys debate and drama, as the one who scores the highest in science class.
Within the cohort of students I graduated with from the St Peter’s Secondary School, some very smart science students have pursued careers in the creative arts, economics, law, actuary and teaching.
Alternatively, some Arts students are now medical doctors, lectures, scientists and engineers.
Room
It is comforting to consider the fact that there truly is room for everyone to be acknowledged and permitted to shine in their own right and not forced to fit into a box.
It makes me wonder what parents say to their children about school nowadays.
I would expect that we are teaching our children that striking a balance between academic excellence and extracurricular activities is what defines academic giftedness. The truly intelligent individuals are those who understand when it is critical to make a change in a previous decisions and justify their change of perception with hard work, positive attitude, dedication and selflessness.
I'm glad how far my year group has come, regardless of what "the Order or Merit" said about us. Continue to excel in whatever you do!
The writer is a Board certified Doctor of Nurse Practice (Family Medicine).
E-mail: [email protected]