Not everybody can win by Nicholas

Not everybody can win by Nicholas - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

During childhood, most people don't realize that every step they take is rewarded in some way. You came 4th in the swim competition? Participation medal. You behaved well in class? Treasure chest prize. Even the country club i work for gives out lollipops to the little kids out playing in the tennis camp, regardless of how they did. My AP Psychology teacher was the one who explained to my class the detriments of a token economy and what we should expect in life.

The importance of this lesson to me was that after the class period had ended, the lesson continued. His classroom environment was based around the treatment a boss would give you, which he had quite a quote for -
"Im going to treat you all the same, Im going to treat you all like dogs."
On our tests he gave us either a pat on the back or a stern look as our reward (rather than a minute "good job" stickers) based on if we lived up to our potential, not by an A or B. For example, the Magna cum laude students would receive a frown from our teacher if they squeezed by with a B, but the mediocre end of his scale could be smiled upon for receiving a C. He later explained that his praise or disappointment promotes us to strive harder than any silly little sticker could ever hope to achieve.

Unlike the lesson on anti derivatives in Calculus, each lesson taught by our Psychology teacher also tied in a moral. This 2 in 1 deal made his lessons in general memorable. But i choose his token economy lesson because it taught me to expect life to be unfair. I can accept that not everybody will be successful because of dumb luck and all you can do is increase your chances, never choose the outcome.