Self-esteem is defined as a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself. This feeling of self-respect should come after accomplishment. Unfortunately, in some public schools, this is not the case. Teachers award praise without merit and students then have a false sense of achievement. They are applauded for doing minimal work and, in turn, are not motivated to go beyond what is expected.

Teachers at Thaddeus Stevens Elementary in Pittsburgh have been encouraged by their administrators not to use a red pen when correcting assignments and tests because the color is “too symbolic of wrong answers.” Major pen manufacturers such as Paper Mate agree with this concept. They suggest educators use more relaxing colors such as lavender. Are children’s egos so fragile that teachers should avoid red pens? It seems a little extreme to me.

So why are school administrators so careful? They try to protect children from feeling anything other than good feelings but isn’t life full of disappointment and failure, too?

This unrealistic behavior shelters children in schools but is also apparent on the playground.

The National Parent and Teacher Association recommends doing away with games such as dodgeball and tag. If a game has a definite “winner” and “loser,” the association discourages its inclusion in the physical education curriculum. The PTA believes such competition is harmful to a child’s development. But I ask you, isn’t it in competition that children flourish?

Anthony Pellegrini, a professor of early childhood education at the University of Minnesota, has carefully studied children’s habits on the playground and has concluded that these games spur on developmental skills that are significant to their growth.

“It [banning of tag at recess] is ridiculous. Even squirrels play chase,” Pellegrini said.

These educators who have been part of the self-esteem craze have good intentions but are endangering children’s futures by stunting their mental growth by providing a level playing field. Some children are going to do better than others; it’s basic human nature. The children who are more gifted should not be discouraged. Instead, they should be encouraged to develop their talents.

How much harm can these educators do by being so overprotective? Sooner or later children are going to be faced with competition, failure and disappointment. Will they be emotionally prepared to handle these common situations once they get older if they have no opportunity to learn along the way?

Many parents, psychologist and educators believe self-esteem will help children overcome these obstacles. Florida State University Francis Eppes Professor Roy Baumeister has been a part of a self-esteem study for the past 20 years. At the onset of the study, there were high hopes of a direct correlation between self-esteem and performance in both schools and the work place. However, Baumeister’s studies found boosting self-esteem through school programs does not result in any positive outcomes.

“Raising self-esteem will, by itself, not make young people perform better in school, obey the law, stay out of trouble, get along better with peers or respect the rights of others,” said Baumeister. “We think it will require a basic change in many self-esteem programs, which now seek to boost everyone’s self-esteem without demanding appropriate behavior first. Using self-esteem as a reward rather than an entitlement seems most appropriate to us.”

This problem is evident in not only elementary-age children but in high schoolers as well. Educators on the secondary level try sometimes to keep students’ self-esteem in tact by providing empty praise. Teens draw from this the idea that they are ready for anything. In reality they may not be prepared for the world they are about to enter.

All students expect college to be harder than high school, but few realize the degree of difficulty. From the minute many freshmen walk through the door of their first college class, they are in for a huge surprise. A student used to receiving As could be shocked when he is criticized. Deborah Stipek, dean of education at Stanford University, keeps a box of tissues on her desk because new college students are not used to her tough feedback.

“College was a bigger shock than I had anticipated. You have to work a lot harder to earn the grades that could have come easily in high school,” said LV graduate Caiti Sherman who is a sophomore at St. Vincent College. Since her freshman year, Caiti has gotten used to the harsh grading system simply by studying more and developing her skills.

Teachers should do their best to challenge their students and provide an atmosphere much like the world they are about to enter. A person’s boss is not going to “just take a couple points off” a late assignment like many teachers would do with a student’s homework.

“Behavioral psychologists argue that you should only reward behavior that is deserving. For instance, a teacher shouldn’t “give” high grades unless the student has worked hard and EARNED the grade,” said psychology teacher Mrs. Amy Wiegand.

Reforms can be made to the school system to address these problems. Perhaps these schools could switch from a scale where 90-100 is an A, 80-89 is a B…, etc. to a system where 92-100 is an A, 83-91 is a B, etc. Such a grading scale might force students to work harder to get the letter grade they are accustomed to receiving.

When asked if grades are inflated, most high school students respond “no.” Of course, if students don’t have to work as hard to receive a high grade, why would they want to change that? These students are worried they are not prepared for the hard classes in college but figure they will get used to it once they arrive. The truth is high schools should prepare students for these tough courses right now.

If students work hard to earn a grade and achieve their goal, it will result in the positive self-esteem. Students may complain because of extra work and lower grades but, in the large scheme of things, they will be better prepared for their futures.