The Reward of the Challenge (Part 2)

A friend of mine is in the process of earning her CPA license. She completed an exhausting schedule of classes, and has now begun the rigorous testing necessary to complete the process. Anyone who has been down this road knows how challenging it is. She spends hours and hours studying for each of the four major exams which are tackled over the course of one year.

I talked about it with her husband while we sat in the stands at a baseball game. After listening to his description of her grueling journey, we chuckled and agreed that we both want that person preparing our taxes.

In previous articles I've championed the cause of tougher challenges for students, rather than the cake walk prescribed by a few misguided souls bent on artificially boosting self-esteem. I've spotlighted the fundamental errors of that flawed approach, and how it ultimately fails the student.

However, let's put that aside for a moment and look at the reward of the challenge from a different perspective. We know how it affects the individual student; how does it affect the rest of us?

Or, to put it bluntly, who do you want preparing your taxes?

The applications of this are everywhere, and yet sadly neglected by the Self-Esteem Patrol. My daughter-in-law recently graduated from nursing school. Over the past two years I've watched her excuse herself from social occasions so she could dive into textbooks that appeared larger than all of the Harry Potter books combined. I watched her spend weeks following her graduation buried in study prep for the nursing boards, another formidable testing procedure.

And you know what? That's the person I want attending to me when I'm rushed to an Emergency Room.

I think the term 'no-brainer' is tossed around a little too frequently, but in this case it's quite appropriate. The rewards of a challenging education serve not only the student, but society as a whole. I want to push every student, regardless of their chosen field, because it serves me. No, it's not selfish; it's logical and practical. When it serves me, it serves you, too.

I often wonder about people who subscribe to the 'make it easier on kids so they feel special' program. When the time comes for them to hire that accountant, or choose their doctor, will they suddenly swallow hard and demand an over-achiever? You can't have it both ways. Perhaps they'll finally recognize that achievement by an individual has a ripple effect on everyone else.

Think of how we demand excellence in almost every aspect of our lives. We want our phones to work, we want the lights to come on when we throw the switch, we want the bank to handle our accounts perfectly, and we want the aircraft to be flawlessly designed and operated. Well, you can't harvest excellence without cultivating it in school.

In this regard, the reward of the challenge is shared by all.

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