The Average students get a break

Title

Creator

Cabanatan, Benigno

Language

English

Year

1957

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

P ERCHANCE no more eloquent and concrete gesture of belief in man's capability and worth has ever been made than the setting up of the Arnold and Robert FoundaAVERAGE STUDENTS tion, Inc., by the Hoffmans, Ameri can philanthropist brothers. The endowment fund, a project of the American brothers in a big univer sity which aims to provide aid to needy students "who cannot qualify for scholarship", is perhaps the first of its kind in student-aid programs. In the first place, it is unusual as it is significant since unlike typical scholarship programs where the students of high academic standing receive scholarship privileges and aids, it lays emphasis on students of allegedly average rating. In the second place, it disproves the disparaging misconception that students who are "weak in the upper story" have no bright future. The philanthropists are exactly opposed to this view. Explained one of the brothers: "We felt that very often a student who is not too outstanding in college may make good in later life." One unfamiliar with the motive of the philanthropists is apt to criti cize the program. A critic may point out that it does not give impetus to improve oneself; instead, it en courages students to remain at the bottom of the academic yardstick. But the Hoffmans believe that a man undergoes a change in himself and improves as he advances in age; that every man has a capacity for success. Their belief rests on the fact that the bulk of Americans who keep their country's prosperity and military might are neither geniuses nor scholars who were "big fishes" in the campuses of American col leges and universities, but students who possess average intelligence, some who did not even attend schools who made their way to suc cess all by themselves. The men and women of average intelligence are part of the strong backbone of GET A every nation and this, too, can be true to the Filipinos. The same idea expressed by a famous author is shared by the phi lanthropists. In the biography of a renowned author, the biographer tells that when the school authorities in the community where the author lived were soliciting contributions from private citizens to be given as awards to well-behaved, obedient youngsters, he denied having any thing to give. He explained the awards were reasonable, but if he by BENIGNO were allowed, he would give awards to the most rebellious and mischievous youngsters on condi tion that the school authorities keep personal records of both the naughty youngsters and the pupils whom the schoolmasters decided to cite for deportment and when they were already of age that their accom plishments be compared. He did not keep an eye on what the youngsters were doing in class but on what they could probably do to contribute to the welfare of the community years after they were out of school. This is not to be misconstrued, however, as appealing indirectly to "relax" the system of grading stu dents so as to give favorable grades to those who are on the brink of failure. "Relaxation" would result in the degeneration of the Univer sity’s high standard of instruction BREAK and in the turnout of intellectual weaklings. History has a host of important figures who were never expected to make good. One novelist, the Saturday Even ing Post editorial cited, who was practically obscure in his college days attended the reunion to tell his colleagues how obscure he was and how the "big fishes" in the campus vanished into obscurity. The biography of a living Eng lish statesman recounts that he had CABANATAN to take entrance exams for the mili tary academy for the second time because he did not come off suc cessfully the first time. Which is evidence that he did not look pro mising then. The average student has reason for added hope and confidence that he will succeed. And that increased hope can eventually drive him on to success. # Page 18 THE CAROLINIAN

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