I then read the article. Sure enough, they were celebrating being average. However, after considering the context it was a little harder to fault them for it.

When we work with our kids. Say, trying to teach your son how to throw a ball. First, you have to teach him how to pick it up. There he is, fumbling around trying to get a grip on it. Patiently you wait for him to be able to get his hand on it without the ball popping out. When he finally gets a grip on it—what do you do? “Alright! Son, you got it! Now, let’s work on getting the ball back behind your head so you can throw that thing!”

Are you wrong for celebrating the beginnings of a possible success? When you have been graded as “unsatisfactory” in past tests, “average” is an improvement worth celebrating. I don’t doubt that this celebration was for the purpose of motivating the kids to “get that ball back behind their heads so they can throw that thing!” I hope next year to see Hollis Academy celebrating for being “above average.”

Had Hollis been graded “average” last year and they were celebrating the status quo, then I would be yelling from the housetop! As it stands, my hat is off to those kids and teachers for striving to be better.

Something to consider:

Hollis proves every child can achieve
  Leroy Chapman
  The Greenville News