Has New Zealand gone soft?

[Trudes]

Day 8: NZ and Togo are equal. Is that how it goes?

[awayatc]

To go where...?

[Swoop]

The meek shall inherit the Earth - if that's alright with you of course.

Good on them, since they will not have it for long. The strong will take it from them.

[CB ARGH]

That's so the fat kids don't go emo and buy razorblades from the $2 shop.

[MSTRS:Me]

The implication being , of course, that tall is the winner and short is the loser. To which the obvious response is "Precious McKenzie"

I'm sure that no such thing was implied. In fact, short people are likely to be the winners in a game of hide-and-seek...
It is hard to explain the titles winner/loser in terms other than coming first in a competition. I alluded to the driver who pushed earlier - what I was attempting to convey is that attitude defines a winner, coupled with endeavour and outcome.
Some winners are the biggest losers. And vikiverki.
Still does not mean that 'we are all winners'

[awayatc]

MSTRS......I don't think it can be made any clearer then that......

[FROSTY:Me]

Sorry to do a classic thread dredge but this exact conversation came up again tonight.
One of the lads form teachers has pissed me off so much I almost hit her. and I never hit a woman.
The conversation went 'Oh the lad just has to accept hes not going to get top marks at school and aim just to pass"
What really frightened me was that she genuinely couldn't understand the concept of aiming to WIN. Aiming to be the best.
Set the bar at the highest level and falling short is a pass
Set the bar at "just passing" and falling short is to fail
"Ohh well he just has to accept he may have to redo the year." was the response.
Maybee I'm just too old for this world we live in today. maybee being mediocre is the norm.
But I'll be fucked if I'm gonna encourage any of my kids to strive to be average.

[short-circuit]

Sorry to do a classic thread dredge but this exact conversation came up again tonight.
One of the lads form teachers has pissed me off so much I almost hit her. and I never hit a woman.
The conversation went 'Oh the lad just has to accept hes not going to get top marks at school and aim just to pass"
What really frightened me was that she genuinely couldn't understand the concept of aiming to WIN. Aiming to be the best.
Set the bar at the highest level and falling short is a pass
Set the bar at "just passing" and falling short is to fail
"Ohh well he just has to accept he may have to redo the year." was the response.
Maybee I'm just too old for this world we live in today. maybee being mediocre is the norm.
But I'll be fucked if I'm gonna encourage any of my kids to strive to be average.

Maybe she doesn't believe in setting people up to fail? Maybe she's attempting to temper your expectations?

Take a few breaths and reflect on why you had such a strong reaction to what she said.

[mashman]

But I'll be fucked if I'm gonna encourage any of my kids to strive to be average.

If the father is anything to go by, they'll achieve that standard by default, why raise their hopes . Meh, it must get boring being a teacher, picking the losers in every class and wondering why one would waste their energy trying to help them to achieve when they clearly don't have the mental faculty to be exceptional. She probably knows how the kid will turn out, the job he will do, the number of kids he will have etc...

[Road kill]

Sorry to do a classic thread dredge but this exact conversation came up again tonight.
One of the lads form teachers has pissed me off so much I almost hit her. and I never hit a woman.
The conversation went 'Oh the lad just has to accept hes not going to get top marks at school and aim just to pass"
What really frightened me was that she genuinely couldn't understand the concept of aiming to WIN. Aiming to be the best.
Set the bar at the highest level and falling short is a pass
Set the bar at "just passing" and falling short is to fail
"Ohh well he just has to accept he may have to redo the year." was the response.
Maybee I'm just too old for this world we live in today. maybee being mediocre is the norm.
But I'll be fucked if I'm gonna encourage any of my kids to strive to be average.

Maybe she's trying to send you a message without hurting your feelings,,,too much.

Maybe the kids simply not the big winner,,,after all,,,,what do you do for a living ?

My old man was a truck driver

[Road kill]

If the father is anything to go by, they'll achieve that standard by default, why raise their hopes . Meh, it must get boring being a teacher, picking the losers in every class and wondering why one would waste their energy trying to help them to achieve when they clearly don't have the mental faculty to be exceptional. She probably knows how the kid will turn out, the job he will do, the number of kids he will have etc...

Beat me too it,,,,must spread rep.

[FROSTY:Me]

Maybe she doesn't believe in setting people up to fail? Maybe she's attempting to temper your expectations?
Take a few breaths and reflect on why you had such a strong reaction to what she said.

Holey cow you really don't get it. Aiming to be the best -striving to be the best means that is what you are aiming for. Falling short is still passing. Aiming to "just pass" means falling short is actually failing.
Would you enter a race to finish or to win?

[oneofsix]

Sorry to do a classic thread dredge but this exact conversation came up again tonight.
One of the lads form teachers has pissed me off so much I almost hit her. and I never hit a woman.
The conversation went 'Oh the lad just has to accept hes not going to get top marks at school and aim just to pass"
What really frightened me was that she genuinely couldn't understand the concept of aiming to WIN. Aiming to be the best.
Set the bar at the highest level and falling short is a pass
Set the bar at "just passing" and falling short is to fail
"Ohh well he just has to accept he may have to redo the year." was the response.
Maybee I'm just too old for this world we live in today. maybee being mediocre is the norm.
But I'll be fucked if I'm gonna encourage any of my kids to strive to be average.

Turns out my mum had the same shit when I was a lad in intermediate. She didn't accept it. we were streamed at high school. Top stream Good work mum.

Maybe she doesn't believe in setting people up to fail? Maybe she's attempting to temper your expectations?

Take a few breaths and reflect on why you had such a strong reaction to what she said.

Typical modern teacher. Can't have kids feeling they have failed Tell him to try harder, all reports used to have that standard line in my day.

Holey cow you really don't get it. Aiming to be the best -striving to be the best means that is what you are aiming for. Falling short is still passing. Aiming to "just pass" means falling short is actually failing.
Would you enter a race to finish or to win?

Enter the race to do my best. If racing Rossi or Stoner, don't expect to win but want to do the best and see how close I can get. Sometimes finishing is a win, like the Muslim female runner in the Olympics, but agree with your point, you don't aim to finish last.

[wysper]

What was it one of our top triatheletes (sp?) said, Winning isn't everything, wanting to is.

There are plenty of times I will do something and not expect to win. But yes I try to. There are times where I am doing something just for fun, and I could care less if I won (well.. mostly, even want to win those ones).

While my kids are little, I want them to try things because they are fun, they enjoy it etc. As they get older the winning or losing side will come into it.
Already though, they prefer to be on the winning side!

It is harder when it is something like music, where there isn't a winning and losing, there is an improving performance. It is harder to set a bar for achievement in this case. And there is no way I want to hot house my children. That is when there needs to be drive from the child them selves, and simply for some, that drive won't be there.

[FROSTY:Me]

Wysper I dig the triathletes point and your point re music etc. Maybee I'm just not phrasing it correctly.Aim to be the best in whatever you do is all I ask for.
Emphasis on the word AIM