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Pros And Cons Of Being A Valedictorian

579 Words3 Pages

Being the valedictorian is a great honor among students. The students that work the hardest get rewarded. The top student(s) of the class receive the honor of valedictorian. The other students, no matter how close, do not get this. This causes a huge issue amongst these students. They work as hard, but something simple can stop them from achieving this award. The pressure from wanting to be valedictorian is the greatest cost. Some students break down and cannot handle the stress. Students have been known to take their own lives because of stress levels from schools. Parents have been suing schools all across the country, as to who will receive the award. Some schools have started to get rid of goals, such as valedictorian, because of these reasons. First of all, students should not be so stressed at school. Kids and teens learn best in stress-free environments, but when they are pressured by their peers or their parents this is impossible. Stress levels are so high in schools today that across the country, “towns like Lexington, with some of the state’s highest achieving students, feel compelled to host official ‘stress reduction’ days(Brogan).” Other towns, that have faced student suicides, are devising plans to combat stress and reduce pressure. …show more content…

A child can only reach as high as he/she can. It is impossible to absurd to believe they can reach any higher. Although their child may get close but not make it, it doesn’t mean you should sue the school. Parents across the country have been known to sue schools if their child does not make the spot of valedictorian. Weighted classes have a large role in this issue. If a student from one school is able to take an advanced class that it not offered at another school then it is impossible to get a better GPA than theirs because they have a weighted grade. This is what has caused many lawsuits against high schools and the issue

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In Best in Class, Margaret Talbot explains how the position of valedictorian should be kept in the school system, though the gravity around holding the position as well as how it is chosen should be changed. She uses logos to appeal to her massively student-based audience, as well as selective presentation to keep focus on her argument, rather than anything else. In her appeal to logos, Talbot mentions how GPAs play a massive part of how a valedictorian is and was chosen. In explaining how important a GPA is, and how weighted classes make it overly easy to get over a 4.0, she sets up a background for why it is becoming so hard to chose valedictorian by grade point average alone.

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Valedictorian By Margaret Talbot

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Margaret talbot ,throughout her piece, shows how students have been focused on getting the title of “Valedictorian” when really it is just causing several issues Talbot uses different rhetorical devices to have a personal connection with her readers and make her argument more credible. The author explains the difficulties in getting valedictorian and the problems that it has with some students who believe they deserve the title. Talbot explains how students who received valedictorian are still academically skilled in college; however, nobody really cares whether or not you got valedictorian. Talbots message appeals to the audience’ s emotions when she shows the amount of stress and work that students put themselves through in order to qualify

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Best In Class' By Margaret Talbot

720 Words | 3 Pages

In many high schools across the nation, valedictorians are appointed to represent the senior class at graduation. Many people see the valedictorian as the best student in the entire class or maybe just the most popular. Either way, stakes are high when appointing a single student to this position, and much controversy has been discovered as to what qualifies a student to become the one. Academics are generally the aspect that principals consider most when deciding. In “Best in Class,” author Margaret Talbot uses rhetoric devices such as effective quotes and expressive personal anecdote, two assets tied to ethos, to support her claim that appointing a single valedictorian is an unfair custom among U.S. high schools.

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Best In Class' By Margaret Talbot

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Being named the highest academic achiever of anyone in your school is quite the achievement; however, in “Best in Class” by Margaret Talbot, she puts forth the message that the fight for valedictorian is causing much more harm than good. Talbot reinforces this argument through her uses of hard evidence to appeal to ethos and her anecdotal interviews to appeal to pathos. Being one of the strongest parts of her article, Talbot’s use of great amounts of hard evidence strengthens her appeal to ethos. Being a reporter, and a female reporter at that, Talbot must be very careful to avoid using overly-emotional appeals to try and convey her argument. The reporting industry is one in which someone can lose their credibility to critics very quickly

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Students should not have to be concerned about every tenth of a point on a pop quiz, which student is awarded valedictorian or who just barely made the top ten. A student should have a deep desire to learn about the world, and each individual in a student’s life, especially teachers and administrators, should be encouraging young people to pursue knowledge. Unfortunately, our educational system does not provide the proper environment for this type of exciting scholastic stimulation. Instead, students aimlessly work their way through piles of work that will only useful for passing some quizzes, a test or two, and eventually an exam. Then this cycle starts over again.

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Essay 'Best Of Class' By Talbot

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The plight of the students who fight for their position as a valedictorian is used to invoke frustration in the reader as they sense an injustice to the stressed students. Talbot used stories of the system working against the hard working student like Stephanie Klotz who had “so many plaques I literally couldn’t carry them off stage”(228) and was originally not valedictorian. These tale frustrate the reader to the point where they actively seek out a compromise that Talbot gives. Talbot also uses pathos in the form of a counter argument to logically convince the reader that the valedictorian system should be still be implemented yet altered slightly. Talbot admits that the valedictorian system is “designed for a simpler time” (231) and maybe should be eliminated.

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In Kurt Wiesenfeld’s article “Making the Grade”, he address the issue that students want a higher grade than they deserve. He goes on to prove this be by giving examples of previous students that he has had and what can happen when students get the grades that they want and not what they deserve. In Wiesenfeld’s article he states that about ten percent of students that take his class do not care about their grades until final grades are over. “You might groan and moan, but you accepted it as the outcome of your efforts or lack thereof,” Wiesenfeld stated.

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Margaret Barrs Idea Of Best In Class

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Margaret Talbot’s “Best in Class” is an enticing and informational article about the argument on whether or not Valedictorians are a good thing. Having one valedictorian has been a tradition in schools for many, many years; however, as times change, students are becoming more invested and determined in school, so many kids are missing being valedictorian by 0.001%. Therefore, Talbot brings to light both sides of the story in this extraordinary article. Although Margaret seems to not choose a side, it is obvious through her strong diction and testimonies that she believes that appointing a single valedictorian is an unfair custom throughout U.S. schools.

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In “Best in Class”, Margaret Talbot reveals the stressful lives of students in high school. The majority can relate to her essay since most have endured this unforgiving time in life. The main point Talbot debates is the competition for valedictorian. The author shows that being valedictorian is a respectable honor; however, in recent years it has been corrupted and should be modified by implementing passionate pathos and understanding persona. Talbot is able to use great pathos to advance her message regarding valedictorian.

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803 Words | 4 Pages

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Pros And Cons Of High School Valedictorians

236 Words | 1 Pages

There’s a variety of things other than academics that people are involved in. I believe there should not be high school valedictorians. One reason is it can ruin the fun in school. If you and your friends are having a competition to have the highest GPA, something like in the story could happen where a friend takes a secret class to get the most credits and steal valedictorian from everyone. When someone wins by doing everything they can to not let others win makes a bad impact on the other students spending their high school careers working for it.

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