Achievement and accomplishment (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"Achievement is the completion of the task imposed from outside -- the reward often being a path to the next achievement. Accomplishment is the end point of an engulfing activity we’ve chosen, whose reward is the sudden rush of fulfillment, the sense of happiness that rises uniquely from absorption in a thing outside ourselves."

What We Lose When We Push Our Kids to ‘Achieve’

May 15, 2023

By Adam Gopnik

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/opinion/youth-achievement-happiness.html

***

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the prevalent approach in many schools is still the classic "carrot and stick" model. [1] A significant number of educators and school leaders firmly believe that students' behaviors should be manipulated through rewards and punishments. They maintain that clear goals should be set for students so that their "achievements" can be precisely measured.

However, pursuing higher achievements can often devolve into a stressful race for status, causing individuals to lose sight of the true purpose of their relentless competition. Too frequently, they lose a sense of personal agency in their own lives. Educators and administrators must recognize that intrinsic motivation--the internal drive of an individual--is more powerful and long-lasting than extrinsic motivation, which is externally driven.

When people engage in actions that they personally value, they experience the joy of "accomplishment." Distinct from achievement, accomplishment springs from within the individual. It does not require external rewards or acknowledgment; the individual becomes the authentic agent of their actions. Accomplishment should be the benchmark in the current education, which values diversity.

The unique values held by each person cannot be easily standardized or measured. Those who find satisfaction in controlling other persons depreciate the meaning of individual accomplishment. Nevertheless, education should not cater to such perspectives. Instead, students should prioritize personal accomplishment and the intrinsic joy it brings rather than seeking achievements dictated by external forces.

[1] 動機づけに関するDan Pinkの動画

http://yanaseyosuke.blogspot.com/2018/04/dan-pink.html

[Written with ChatGPT and QuillBot]