Men should be intellectual, but intellectualism should not be limited to a GPA or letter grade.
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A letter has been making its way around social media the past few days. Addressed to an 8-year old student, Charlie Owen, of Barrowford Primary School in the U.K., this letter serves to congratulate and thank him on his perseverance through the standardized testing period. The text of the letter is below.
Dear Charlie Owen,
Please find enclosed your end of KS2 test results. We are very proud of you as you demonstrated huge amounts of commitment and tried your very best during this tricky week.
However, we are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you–the way your teachers do, the way I hope to, and certainly not the way your families do. They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day. They do not know that you can write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends. They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best … the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeSo enjoy your results and be very proud of these but remember there are many ways of being smart.
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I volunteer on the national governing council for Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, serving as the Director of Academic Affairs. My responsibilities center upon encouraging undergraduate men to perform well in their collegiate studies. GPA matters. Grades matter. In a competitive job market and an ever-changing global economy, companies want the best and the brightest.
Does this come from truly not caring about learning and bettering oneself, or is it slowly engrained into a young male’s mind, through school experiences, that intellectualism only consists of studying for a test and that he is defined by a test score?
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But I am also passionate that good, young men are more than a test score. The numerical and statistical side of education can make some young men feel like a number rather than a human. Charlie Owens is receiving the message early that, while a performance statistic is part of his overall profile, it is not his total overall profile.
Stereotypical manhood definitions promote anti-intellectualism. If you care about school, you are less a man. Does this come from truly not caring about learning and bettering oneself, or is it slowly engrained into a young male’s mind, through school experiences, that intellectualism only consists of studying for a test and that he is defined by a test score?
As Charlie’s teachers indicate, there are many ways of being smart. There are many ways to be intellectual. Learning a language, practicing an instrument, wondering about the natural world, examining your values systems–these are among a myriad array of intellectual pursuits not measured by a score.
Young men need a learning environment and mentors encouraging the same message Charlie hears in his letter. Grades matter, yes, and they speak a portion of individual’s story, so they deserve due diligence and effort. But don’t forget that what matters most as a good man are often the immeasurables.
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Image credit: Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M/flickr