I invite you to comment on the translation and please feel free to make suggestions and corrections.

[1]. http://pointtonull.esdebian.org/42312/busqueda-excelencia-programacion

Regards

Regards

you are free to translate it to Spanish, as long as you credit the original to me. I would definitely link to your translation from this article. However, please note that David mentioned above that he was going to work on a Spanish translation as well.

Greetings

And here comes the dilemma: What if I was not labeled as a man that cannot fail, I would never had the hope to go far and do science for the community, not for me. Probably I only would care to get my wage, managing it to some bears and hoping nobody to annoy me. That’s sad, but that’s what I see from my friends whom never cared too much to study.

Antonio, what is your opinion about this? I know label people is a bad thing, but how much is it?

I think that the answer to your dilemma goes beyond the matter of labels alone. Perhaps it was confidence in your abilities that helped you through those rough times, but I suspect other factors such as valuing education has had a major impact as well. Your pride may have been affected by suddenly receiving low grades, but you probably came to your senses because you thought that excelling in school was part of your dream.

I believe that parents should instil self-confidence in children, but should also help them develop a solid work ethic. It’s OK for kids to know that they are talented as long as they realize that their talents should be put to good use, and be honed through regular practise and on-going learning.

Children who grow up in lower socio-economic households often “don’t have a chance” not so much because they are unintelligent or because their parents are praising them too much or too little, but rather because they come from families where (advanced) education is more often than not largely frowned upon or considered a waste of time, rather than seen as something worth pursuing. The term “don’t act white” that’s used by some minority children to bully other children who try hard to succeed is a major indication of how the value system adopted by a child, household, or community can make a huge difference on a child’s longterm success.

Moving beyond the issue of labels, I believe that parents should above all teach children the importance of education and the worth of becoming great at something that is valuable (in whatever capacity) to society.

About labeling people I got myself in a dilemma:
I was a very smart child, clearly above the average. Everybody was telling me I was intelligent, from my father to my colleges. And they were right, but the problem was the environment I was living in. I was the one-eyed king a blind land, without never noticed it. Well, I came into college and there I was super confident in my capacities, thinking life was easy, and wondering how far I could go like an electronics engineering I am being. As the years were passing through my course I started having some difficulties in keeping good marks. After all, only those good students get in the university. I was never again the best one… I was only one more, and I got a big delusion when I realized it, seeing how hard is to do something really useful. For so many times I had just thinking
“Why would I have to come into the college? and to an engineering course? what was I thinking? it would be much more easier if I had a job like normal people have (work on a factory, be a waiter, or a simple truck driver… — a job where I wouldn’t need to effort, just doing every days the same)”

When my delusion started to pass I thought better “I wouldn’t go so low. Where were my dreams? No, I have dreams, I’ll realize them”.

And here comes the dilemma: What if I was not labeled as a man that cannot fail, I would never had the hope to go far and do science for the community, not for me. Probably I only would care to get my wage, managing it to some bears and hoping nobody to annoy me. That’s sad, but that’s what I see from my friends whom never cared too much to study.

Antonio, what is your opinion about this? I know label people is a bad thing, but how much is it?

Best Regards,
Sergio