Everyone+Gets+a+Trophy

**Overview **
Who is Generation Y? This is the generation (born in the late 90’s to 2000’s) that has grown up in the age of constant access to technology.(10) They are often referred to as millennials and echo-boomers.(10) The generation that is currently in school is stereotypically called the “entitled generation” by older generations. The stereotypical traits of this generation include confidence and tolerance along with a personal sense of entitlement compared to older generations.(1) This generation does have some positive traits also. They are also considered optimistic, have close parental involvement, can multitask and are team oriented (2). Is it really the issue of everyone getting an award that has caused the stigma associated with Generation Y? According to Ray and Singh (4), “psychological entitlement has been defined as the relatively stable tendency toward inflated self-perceptions and unrealistic expectations concerning praise and rewards”(4). It is plausible that giving the students awards and trophies for just participating is causing their sense of psychological entitlement.

This entitlement among members of Generation Y can often lead to problems, particularly at school. At awards ceremonies, for instance, many students of this generation feel like they deserve awards that they may not have necessarily earned. Trophies should be celebrated but earned.(5) Trophies and awards should not be based on showing up and participating. “Participation trophies can inflate a child’s self-esteem or cause a low self-esteem”(5). However, the same is true about “regular” trophies. Think about how many times students get upset because they did not win an award. Their reaction is probably one of two: they worked harder to try to receive the award next time or they gave up because they thought they could never get the award anyways.

Where does this issue stem from? Parents and Coaches seem to feel obligated to praise children, no matter if they deserve it or not (7). This next example comes from a Huffington post blog, “A friend’s kid went to elementary school where “Honor Students” awards were handed out alphabetically so that (as one of his daughter’s teachers explained) everybody gets the award, and there are no favorites: it’s alphabetical. When my friend pointed out that his daughter’s last name meant she’d go last. The teacher grew nervous, and stuttered through an alternative: “maybe we could go boy-girl-boy-girl?”. (6) Society has essentially no longer has the concept of losing.(5) Some people think that the generation is suffering because everyone is now a winner.(5)

**Trend or Issue **
Is the concept of everyone getting a trophy a trend that can lead to an issue? Or is it an issue that can lead to a trend? It appears to be a trend that can lead to an issue. Everyone getting an award, whether it is alphabetical or boy-girl, can promote a false sense of self-identity.(6) The children think they are higher in their class rank than they really are, or that they are better on the soccer field than they really are. Once they get out into the “real world”, there is not a cushiony award for every little thing that someone does. Receiving an award for trying hard, regardless of winning or losing, can give a false a sense of accomplishment. However, do the children who barely tried at all still get an award just because everyone else did?

It is thought that the issues with the entitled generation stem from everyone getting a trophy. Why does this generation get a trophy for everything? It is understandable as to why people feel the need to give everyone a reward. No one wants to feel left out. Everyone wants the sense of being proud of earning an award. It is also hard to watch a child’s facial expression change when they think they are about to receive an award and they do not. However, does the award mean anything if everyone gets one? How do you determine who is the best of the best when everyone is lumped into one group of “winners” or are we all “losers”? An old saying stays that “you are only as strong as your weakest link”. How much damage is being done to the mentality of Generation Y if educators (or coaches) continue to give everyone an award for everything? It is thought that the need to give Generation Y a trophy for everything, that it creates a dependent generation. In 2010 the Journal of Financial Service Professional contributors Myers & Sadaghiani (2) found Millennials "expect close relationships and frequent feedback from supervisors to be a main point of differentiation”. However, it may not be the excessive amount of trophies and awards that are affecting the children. According to Bob Cook (a Forbes magazine contributor) (8), it is the excessive amount of pushing from the parents that have caused the children of Generation Y to think the way they do. Bob Cook (8) also brought up the issue of parents pushing their children in the direction the parents want them to go, not the direction that the child wants to go. The children are no longer just receiving trophies, they become trophies to the parents.(8) Plus, the trophy companies are not complaining about the increase in children getting trophies. The trophy industry has increased sales by $2 billion dollars.(7)

A counter argument that may disprove all of the above paragraphs states that “giving kids a plastic trophy will not undermine their natural understanding that life is both unfair and difficult” (9). In 2015, the majority of public school students comes from low-income families.(8) Knowing how expensive extracurricular activities can be, “perhaps a participation trophy is well-earned”(8). Life will become difficult to every child at some point, no matter how many trophies they receive. They will realize that they are not the best at everything, count their losses and move on, just like every generation before them. Whether the older generations are ready or not, Generation Y will be taking over the workforce before long. According to Ray and Singh, “by 2020 they would be occupying a little less than half of the workforce”(4). “No matter what generation, ask about their value system. Focus on that and you’ll find the talent you need”(3). The key to having a good workforce is keeping good workers no matter what generation they come from (3).



**Personal Experience **
For my readers, you may be wondering where my idea for this topic came from. The school that I am currently teaching at recently had an awards day where each subject gave out awards for subject scholar, academic achievement, and most improved. I was surprised by the amount of students' who complained because I did not give them academic achievement or most improved. I was also shocked by the students who complained because I gave them most improved. One student came up to me and said, “I cannot believe you just told the whole school I was failing and now I am doing good”. I was overall shocked by a number of students who complained about the awards given or the lack of awards given.

To make the concept worse, the current principal at my school gave all the high school teachers the "Teacher of the Year Award" because he wanted us all to feel like we are excellent teachers. I do understand that because we all think we are the best teacher around. However, does the “Teacher of the Year Award” mean anything if we all have one? Another thing that struck a nerve with me was at the high school graduation. We were supposed to wear the gown that went with our highest degree and a hood if we had a graduate degree. When we showed up to graduation, all the teachers were wearing a hood, regardless of their degree. There were teachers who had a bachelor’s degree wearing a hood. The principal's rationale behind this was that he wanted everyone to look the same. As someone who just earned my Master’s, I was furious that everyone was allowed to wear a hood regardless of their academic achievement. What are we teaching the students when we all look the same regardless of academic level?

On another note, I judge a cooking contest every year at the local fair. Middle school and high school students can participate. There are 12 places handed out regardless of how many participates. One year there were 13 contestants. We handed out ribbons from 12th place to 1st. As I got closer to the 1st place ribbon, I watched this one child get more and more excited. He thought he had won first place because his name had not been called yet. He was overly excited and began to celebrate too early. I called out the 1st place winner and it was not him. He was the unlucky number 13. His facial expression dropped and he started to cry. Witnessing that poor child's face makes me understand how the “everyone gets a trophy” generation began.

In my personal opinion, I think there is a time and place for everyone to get a trophy. A cook-off would be an appropriate place. However, in a professional setting would not be an appropriate place. There is a big difference between everyone getting an award at a local cook-off competition and everyone wearing an academic hood regardless of your level of education. I think it is up to the educators (or whoever is giving out the trophies) to wisely pick an appropriate time and place to choose whether everyone should get a trophy. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Annotated Bibliography **
(1) Brown, G. (2017). The Millennials (Generation Y): Segregation, Integration and Racism. ABNF Journal, 28(1), 5-8. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to describe the millennial generation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(2) DeVaney, S. A. (2015). Understanding the Millennial Generation. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals, 69(6), 11-14. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to help understand what to expect from the millennial generation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(3) Logan, T. (2012). Trophy Generation. Leader’s Edge.39-44. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to describe how the trophy generation can be tomorrow's leaders.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(4) Ray, P., & Singh, M. (2016). HR Transformation for the New Generation in the Work Force. Indian Journal Of Industrial Relations, 52(2), 336-349. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to help professionals understand what to expect from the millennial generation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(5) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">This article was used to help understand where the idea of participation trophies come from.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(6) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">This article was used to help understand what happens when everyone gets a trophy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(7) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to help understand the effects of participation trophies.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(8) [|https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2015/08/18/participation-trophies-arent-whats-wrong-with-kids-these-days/#79169a271016] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to help support the statement of trophies are not always the issue.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(9) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This article was used to help understand why participation trophies are okay.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(1)0 [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> -This website was used to help define the millennial generation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(11) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This Oprah picture was used to show how often everyone gets a trophy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(12) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This is the link to participation trophy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(13) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-This cartoon picture was used to show how some students may feel when everyone gets a trophy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(14) [] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">-Picture used to illustrate first place.