– Pursuing the goal of being a valedictorian has been stressful for my daughter and has caused her to worry about her grades and fall behind in her studies due to fear of missing class.
– Despite the stress, my daughter has not felt like she’s missed out on other aspects of high school life, as she has participated in sports, clubs, and community service while maintaining good friendships.
– While being a valedictorian may not open doors or offer additional scholarships for my daughter, the effort she put in has taught her valuable study and organizational skills, and has given her confidence in setting and achieving difficult goals.
In high school, my daughter set a goal to become valedictorian, driven by her academic success in grade school. While she is now at the top of her class academically, the pursuit of this goal has come with significant stress and pressure. She has pushed herself to take challenging courses and maintain a high GPA, sacrificing potential opportunities for fun and personal growth in the process.
Despite the challenges, my daughter has managed to balance her academic pursuits with extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and a social life. However, the effort she has put into becoming valedictorian may not provide significant benefits in terms of college admissions or scholarships. Her brother, who was not valedictorian, received the same merit scholarship at his college, leading us to question the value of her intense focus on this goal.
Despite uncertainties about the worth of pursuing valedictorian status, my daughter and I have no regrets about the effort she has put in. The experience has taught her valuable lessons in time management, perseverance, and goal-setting that will benefit her in college and beyond. While the ultimate outcome of giving a graduation speech may not feel like a significant reward, the personal growth and development she has experienced along the way make the effort worthwhile in the long run.