OPINION:
When I was in high school, National Merit Scholarship winners were announced each year at an all-students assembly. Everyone cheered for every award winner; those were the kids who set the standards for the rest of us and our school. Anyone who thinks that late award notifications are OK is just playing politics (“Senate Democrats kill Gov. Glenn Youngkin-backed bill on school awards in Virginia,” Web, Feb. 3).
The failure to notify students of their awards was intentional and done based on the false flag of “equity.” Life has standards by which you are judged, and success is not gained by equity. It is attained by hard work and applying the best that you have. Not all students are National Merit Scholarship candidates, but that does not mean they are less intelligent. It just means their skill sets may not be academic. Their contributions could be in the trades or some other life path.
Too many kids go to college these days unprepared for its rigors, and thus they end up with a worthless degree and a pile of debt. Virginia and other states need to strengthen their non-college training and schooling programs. We have a shortage in many fields that are high-paying and attainable by nontraditional means.
Equity is a path to a life of self-pity and defeatism, whereas equality is how we as a nation move forward. Set expectations for all and allow each to achieve the best he or she can.
PAT HAMP
Oak Hill, Virginia
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