Grades as a Competitive Sport

The Ethical Will of Donald Armstrong, Part 4

For an explanation of what an ‘Ethical Will’ is, please see my previous post, ‘I Leave to You … Whatever Wisdom I May Have Gained.’

I am seventy years of age, but I still recall the names of my elementary school teachers. Or, to be more precise, I remember six out of seven … I think I know the name of my fourth grade teacher, but I am not certain that I have it right. I remember very clearly, however, that she told one student that he had the worst singing voice that she had ever heard — and then added, pointing to me, that the second worst was sitting right beside him. That was the last time I ever attempted to sing in public.

I generally have positive memories of my other teachers. Catherine Frieden taught me, and all three of my brothers, when we were in third grade. Later, she became a neighbor when she and her husband purchased the house across the street from my parents’ home. She believed in fostering competition between her students, relying on positive reinforcement to motivate us. It worked — at least for the higher achievers in the class.

We had weekly tests, and the following morning, as we filed into theen classroom, we would see three names written prominently at the top of the chalkboard. They were the names of the students who…