I don’t agree with the Leyden SD 212 Board of Education’s decision to no longer publish the East and West Leyden  honor roll. Numerous members of my family attended Leyden High Schools over the years and everyone was proud of their children seeing their names signifying their achievements each semester.

Kids who work hard and achieve the GPA required for Honors and/or High Honor Roll deserve to be recognized. Life is not fair. The sooner our kids learn that, the better. They also need to learn that hard work pays off. Unfortunately, it seems that in an era as we drift toward socialism in our country, we bend over backwards to coddle our kids and protect them from disappointment and failure. We’re doing them a disservice because we’re raising kids who don’t know how to function well in the real world and compete.

I raised my  concern of the District  failing to publish the Honor Roll after every semester at a Board of Education meeting several months ago, noting that this Honor Roll could be published each semester on the SD 212 website.    I received no answer to that suggestion,  but the silence is deafening, and since my appearance in front the Board of Education no effort has been made to include this information on the website.

Not every kid is an A student but every kid has something to offer. Whatever that “something” is can be recognized and supported. Some kids may excel at biology or history, others at being kind or funny or painting or swimming. And some kids may be good at many things, because, well, life’s not fair. In the big bad world, our kids may not get that job, grant, or promotion they wanted. As parents, we can help them develop into emotionally healthy adults, not by removing the bumps, but by helping them learn to ride the bumps. I also don’t agree with the Leyden SD 212’s Board of Education  decision to no longer as of the Class of 2022 to continue to designate class rank. Students should be proud of whatever their class rank;  but develop a keen sense of competition for which their lifetime experiences will require them to pursue.

Our kids are lucky to be attending such a well financed school program and beautiful  physical plant financed by the taxpayers of the District. The School District’s high school education is excellent and prepares the students well to enter the work force, the trades or college of their choosing.

Many of them come from single-parent homes where the parent’s most urgent concern is making the next rent or utility payment;  yet they know the Leyden 212 “brand” provides an quality education.
Clearly the Leyden High School Board of Education SD 212  have caved in to parents who have complained, most likely because their kids didn’t make honor roll. These parents might help their kids more by supporting them for who they are, not who the parents want them to be.