Special Note to Advisers and Administrators

Chapter advisers and school administrators are encouraged to keep the following points in mind as they prepare their students for participation in the competitive event series:

Competitive events are excellent motivating devices; they help to instill the desire to learn and to achieve.

To be the best generally requires innate ability, high motivation, and many hours of hard work.

Travel and interaction with students from other schools are tremendous learning opportunities for students.

Competitive events can be helpful in building school spirit and in publicizing a business program.

Competitive events should not be used to determine curricula, teaching methodology, time spent on class activities, textbooks to be used, grading procedures, or for teacher evaluations.

Excessive class time should not be spent on areas covered in competitive events at the expense of other subject matter that should be taught. Delaying contestant selection as long as possible is encouraged so that more students are striving for mastery or excellence in a particular area.

A teacher’s competence or effectiveness should not be judged by the number of student winners. A teacher is not an excellent teacher simply because a student wins a competitive event any more than a teacher is a poor teacher because a student does not win.

Likewise, the success of a local chapter should not be determined strictly by the performance of its members in competitive events. While an important element of the overall FBLA program, competitive events are just that – a part. Many activities and programs work together to build a successful chapter.

Teachers should recognize the value of competitive events, maintain a professional attitude towards the events, and keep them in proper perspective.