Society's Contentment With Mediocrity

“You are not special. You are not exceptional, contrary to your participation soccer trophy and 5th grade report card” (David McCullough). McCullough articulates that Americans tend to disregard extraordinary achievements, and instead celebrate ordinary progress so that no individual feels inferior. In comparison to our global competitors, society’s contentment with mediocrity is hurting the overall cognitive performance of students in America’s educational systems.

America’s pervasive acceptance of mediocrity has prevented society as a whole from standing up and taking bold steps in new directions. The typical mindset of society shapes our perception of success, which is entangling us into deep consequences. It seems that America is inventing

new ways to celebrate mediocrity, in the hope that no one will feel inferior. In David McCullough’s speech to the Wellesley High School Class of 2012, he explained that, “if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless” (David McCullough). Since there is no prize or goal to work towards, it ultimately de-motivates the individual. The effort society puts forth into all aspects of life is slowly declining, pushing us further behind our global peers. Perhaps society seeks praise more than genuine achievement. McCullough therefore concludes that Americans are only willing to compromise the standard of mediocrity if that is the only way to raise one’s place in the social hierarchy. Those who refuse to remain mediocre are considered non conformant, despite the fact that it is this small minority of people who are instrumental in assuring our country’s success. Society’s comfort with and pursuit of mediocrity results in mediocre outcomes.

The acceptance of mediocrity that has been incorporated into the American education system is failing to bring out the excellence in our students. When compared to the rest of the world, American schools perform in the middle of the pack. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tested intelligence skills of 15 year-olds in math, science and reading from over 34 different countries. American kids placed 17th in reading, 21st in science, and 26th in math (TIME). Not only did America not make it into the top ten, but these statistics placed us behind countries like Estonia, Poland, and even developing countries like Vietnam. What does this say about our education system? Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the public school system in Washington D.C., proposes the concept that America has always been average. Although this is unsettling and somewhat offensive to Americans, accepting mediocrity leaves society without any goals to work towards. Our nation, however has not always been comfortable with mediocrity. In fact we put the first man on the moon, and developed the first concept of the internet. What separates our education system from the rest of the world is that we “spend so much time making kids feel good about themselves, that we’ve lost sight of taking the time necessary to make them good” (Michelle Rhee). Germany and Ireland who are at the top of the charts, strive to bring out the excellence in their students by pushing them beyond their comfort zone - beyond mediocrity. It is crucial that we adjust our perspective of education in America because it is harming our nation’s promise of equal opportunity. This promise declares that hard work, perseverance, and grit will propel anyone with any background into success.

Establishing a positive mindset will aid in the academic success of youth, and change their perspective and outlook of their future.

Up until the 1960’s, it was believed that people were either born with or without intelligence. UC Berkeley professor Mark Rosenzweig, performed a series of experiments with rats demonstrating how environment influenced rat behavior. His findings changed society’s outlook of inherited intelligence. Rosenzweig's results presented the idea that all youth have the capability to succeed, although it depends on how the individual develops their own attitude or belief toward their personal intelligence. Carol Dweck, a psychologist from Stanford University interpreted Rosenzweig's experimental results and separated the issue into two outlooks of personal intelligence. “Some students start thinking of their intelligence as something fixed, as carved in stone” (Michelle Trudeau). Dweck perceived this as a fixed mindset of intelligence. “Others think intelligence is something you can develop your whole life” (Student’s View of Intelligence). She calls this the growth mindset of intelligence. Dweck wondered if a child’s belief about their own intelligence could contribute to their academic success. She conducted an experiment analyzing the correlation of these elements in 373 seventh grade students who struggled in math. The students were randomly assigned to attend a workshop. One seminar taught how to study well, while the other educated students on the expanding nature of intelligence of the brain. The second group discovered that “the brain actually formed new connections every time they learned something new, and that over time, made the individual smarter" (Student’s View of Intelligence). Those who attended the neuroscience seminar and believed that they could grow and advance in their cognitive development, saw a steady increase in academic performance by the end of the semester. They received better overall grades than the other group

because "when they studied, they thought about those neurons forming new connections" (Mindsets and Achievements). This changed their mindset towards learning, and conclusively improved academic success.

American kids are just as intellectually capable as their global peers, but unfortunately the acceptance of mediocrity in the American education system has resulted in the failure to bring out excellence in all our students. Excellence can be achieved through teaching a “growth mindset” in all aspects of learning. By teaching middle school students a simplified version of neuroscience, academic success will become a widespread factor throughout America. It is understood that not every student will be willing to pursue strong mental determination, but the majority of participating classmates will help the encourage the hesitant individual. This will not only increase the overall academic success in America, but it could revise America’s perception of achievement and exterminate our habit to remain mediocre. Educating students on the expanding nature and inner workings of their brain will improve the academic success in our youth, and reassure Americans of the promise of equal opportunity for each individual, no matter the background.