No, this is definitely not becoming a weekly blog, but my computer only lets me online weekends. I’m not sure why, but I am not ready to throw it onto the scrap heap without a fight.

This week at school juniors were informed whether they were accepted into the National Honor Society. Several top students were rejected because, in the view of the committee, they did not have sufficient leadership. This is reminiscent of my son's junior year in high school when 31 of 48 applicants were rejected because of leadership.

Leadership is the most amorphous of the three categories required of prospective members (the others being scholarship and community service), and is often viewed incorrectly by the faculty committees. As a teacher, I find that the best leaders often do so quietly either by example or by encouraging their peers individually. In particular, introverted students often do not wish to step out front with leadership positions in clubs, yet demonstrate quiet leadership which is rarely, if ever, recognized by NHS committees.

On the other hand, some extroverted students strive to be the center of attention and run for offices, but do not necessarily serve as qualified leaders once they have those positions. I advise a club which has one particular officer who is incredibly popular with her classmates, yet in spite of being totally unqualified for office won the election last year easily, but has done virtually nothing in the position this year. There is another student who bribed other students into voting for him as president of a major club, but has been totally disastrous in that position both in the view of the advisors and the other members who considered impeaching him earlier this year. Both are members of NHS, and the boy got accepted into an Ivy League college which only looks at his resume on paper without delving into the truth behind the facts.

In my opinion, NHS acceptances are biased against introverted students who perform their leadership behind the scenes, often more effectively than those who go for the splashy public positions. It is blatantly unfair, and sets the wrong type of example for our students.