Students are fully aware of the positive and negative consequences of grade inflation whether it is something as simple as a grade curve or as drastic as a student trying to bargain their way into graduation. However, another smaller issue that arises is the “participation trophy.” When doing something, everyone gets an equal amount of victory. When discussing this topic in class, I realized that many of my peers saw participation trophies and inflated grades as one in the same. Both items apparently trigger narcissism and false hope in children. I choose to disagree. Grade inflation and participation trophies are both controversial aspects of a student’s life, but they are not the same. Each issue has its own causes and solutions. To me, grade inflation is more …show more content…
They must first see the differences between rewarding older and younger children. Children who have not yet gone through adolescence should be rewarded for things such as effort, teamwork, and perseverance to finish an activity. These are traits that they are still learning about and so, when they succeed in fulfilling tasks, then they should be rewarded. On the other hand, older children who are attending high school and college have already learned those lessons, and so don’t need for them to be acknowledged quite as much. Instead, they should focus on obtaining the skills they need to become independent. Therefore, their grades in school should be honest in order to reveal what their strengths are and what they need to improve on. No matter what age, society must tell the next generation that winning is not a healthy goal. Instead, when learning, children should focus on making milestones and steps rather than just reaching the ultimate goal. Grades and trophies are just part of that process and are only useful if used with thought and