Is that word meant as a praise term, a term to honor? Or as a slam, a cut, a dismissal of sorts. Actually, that depends. On where that person is overachieving.
OK, take Rudy. You know, the movie. The no-talent athlete who had a dream to play football at Notre Dame. You know how this goes. Rudy has no chance as an athlete. But through incredible perseverance, he actually makes it into Notre Dame, then in almost an act of pity, he’s allowed to be on the team. Finally, because of incredible hard work, dedication, and single-minded effort, he actually makes it into a Notre Dame football game. The crowd goes berserk, they scream “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy” and the players carry him off on their shoulders. Or something like that anyway.
We all love that guy. We admire his dedication, his optimism in the face of certain defeat, his incredible refusal to give up or be defeated. We make movies about that kind of guy.
But let’s change venues. Let’s say Rudy is a 15 year old girl of average intelligence, and her goal is to graduate at the top of her class, because she knows that’s the only way she has a chance of getting a college scholarship. So she studies nonstop, works with incredible focus, and sacrifices all other things, so that she can excel. Not in sports, but in academics. Finally, because of incredible hard work, dedication, and single-minded effort, she finally realizes her dream. She makes it to the top, and at her graduation day, do we hear the crowd go berserk? Cheer her name? Carry her away on their shoulders? No, what we’re most like to hear is “Yeah, she was valedictorian, but she’s not really that smart. She just works hard. She’s an overachiever.”
First of all, trust me on this one. I've seen it over and over. When a student excels because of hard work, that is almost exactly the “praise” he or she earns. People say he or she is an “overachiever” almost like it’s somehow cheating if you become a good student by hard work. Sure, we say we want them to work hard, study, and try to excel. Yet when it actually happens, nobody outside of Mom or Dad admires what that student did. The rest of us? Well, she’s just an overachiever.
Feel free to disagree, but I’ve heard it a million times. And, for what it’s worth, the term “overachiever” is invariably applied to a girl. Almost 100% of the time. I’ll let you make your own interpretation about this one. I know what mine is.
You know, I've never figured this out. In sports we admire the Rudies, the Rockies, the Titans. Whoever wins in the face of adversity. But in academics, no.
Somehow, I don't like it at all..
I agree, BUT the negative connotation that goes along with overachiever is usually with the student's peers. There are more then just Mom and Dad that notice their hard work and give them encouragement to keep achieving their goals. I personally think that the peers that hold the negative connotation with overachievers, only do this because they are A) either jealous, or B) mad at themselves for not attaining a goal that they had set for themselves. We, as adults, need to encourage the positive behavior and that will hopefully excel the student to go farther. Positive reinforcements only boosts a student's will to accomplish their goals. That's at least how I see it.
ReplyDeleteI do have a question though. Why do you think it is mostly girls?
You are probably right that the negative connotation comes mostly from peers. Unfortunately however, I have seen it from adults as well, including teachers. But you are also right about the need for encouragement. Why is it mostly girls? I'm not sure of course, but I really think some people still, even today, in the backs of their minds really think that boys are just smarter. Many times I've heard adults, and yes even teachers, say of a boy "If he would just try, he could get straight A's." Yet rarely do I hear that about girls. I could be unconsciously filtering what I hear. But that's how it seems to me.
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