Post by robcaudill on Aug 9, 2011 12:38:51 GMT -5
When I think about Princeton University, I think of just what David Brooks described in “The Organization Kid”: someone who is perfectly, preppily dressed and has the utmost respect for the authority figures around them. I would also picture these students as intrinsically motivated, but also ever conscious of the extrinsic rewards that they are apt to receive for their hard work. I wasn’t surprised at all to find that these young adult “elite” students blindly obey what has been put in front of them and do not even attempt to protest things that matter. After all, does it not stand to reason that a protest possibly could make them look less than perfect in the eyes of their fellow students and professors? Now, that would not be acceptable would it?
However, as I think about the students at Princeton that Brooks describes as “Future Workaholics of America”, I cannot help but think about how much they remind me of myself and many of my friends and fellow classmates. We are constantly striving to achieve, which society and our parents and teachers tell us is the right thing to do. Do we question authority? Maybe privately with our friends after school, but we absolutely do not question it as we go about our daily rituals at school. If Brooks was here to question us, I would venture to say that he would respond to my high school class in much the same way he responds to the perceived elite he is questioning in this article. I would imagine he would also comment on us, “nowhere did I find any real unhappiness with this state of affairs; nowhere did I find anybody who seriously considered living any other way.”
We do not question the way we live, not at all. We continue through school as we always have: motivated to achieve a high school diploma with honors, the highest GPA, or a top five class ranking. We strive for this constantly, and frequently it defines the high school experience for any student interested in being the best. I think this is especially true for those of us in this particular English class. We are the types of students who fight for the aforementioned roles and others such as the valedictorian, student body president, the student who shines above all others.
Not only is this true in the classroom, but also true in the sports arena. We do just as Brooks said, “[We] are a mentor magnet. [We] spent [our] formative years excelling in school, sports, and extracurricular activities.” Competition is constant, whether it is in after school activities done for fun or in the academic setting. Our coaches are much like our teachers and parents; they guide us along the way attempting to make us the best we can be. As a player on the DHS baseball team, I see this in many of my teammates who spend hours at the baseball academy striving to dominate the competition in whatever position they play on the field. Throughout our lives, we have been doing what we know is expected of us in all arenas, hoping that we will one day reap the rewards of what we have sewn throughout our high school years.
However, as I think about the students at Princeton that Brooks describes as “Future Workaholics of America”, I cannot help but think about how much they remind me of myself and many of my friends and fellow classmates. We are constantly striving to achieve, which society and our parents and teachers tell us is the right thing to do. Do we question authority? Maybe privately with our friends after school, but we absolutely do not question it as we go about our daily rituals at school. If Brooks was here to question us, I would venture to say that he would respond to my high school class in much the same way he responds to the perceived elite he is questioning in this article. I would imagine he would also comment on us, “nowhere did I find any real unhappiness with this state of affairs; nowhere did I find anybody who seriously considered living any other way.”
We do not question the way we live, not at all. We continue through school as we always have: motivated to achieve a high school diploma with honors, the highest GPA, or a top five class ranking. We strive for this constantly, and frequently it defines the high school experience for any student interested in being the best. I think this is especially true for those of us in this particular English class. We are the types of students who fight for the aforementioned roles and others such as the valedictorian, student body president, the student who shines above all others.
Not only is this true in the classroom, but also true in the sports arena. We do just as Brooks said, “[We] are a mentor magnet. [We] spent [our] formative years excelling in school, sports, and extracurricular activities.” Competition is constant, whether it is in after school activities done for fun or in the academic setting. Our coaches are much like our teachers and parents; they guide us along the way attempting to make us the best we can be. As a player on the DHS baseball team, I see this in many of my teammates who spend hours at the baseball academy striving to dominate the competition in whatever position they play on the field. Throughout our lives, we have been doing what we know is expected of us in all arenas, hoping that we will one day reap the rewards of what we have sewn throughout our high school years.