I don't actively encourage cynicism but at the same time I don't discourage it either: some of her classmates are so clueless and still think the world revolves around them and that they can have something just because they want it. We have actually had a related conversation and neither I nor DD felt sorry for the students who did not get in for the simple reason that they did not possess talent and/or did not practice sufficiently. This is not a lottery situation nor a Ivy League admissions situation with crazy ratios. This is more akin to the question of whether GT classes should admit students who lack the requisite intelligence and/or high achievement just because they and/or their parents was very excited and really wanted to do it. Believe it or not there were actually students who apply to audition and somehow thought it was okay to audition WITHOUT mastering the assigned pieces. WTH? I am not talking about a crazy level of practicing/preparation - DD only practices a couple of hours a week total although she has some natural talent.
You bring up some important questions about motivation. I totally agree that motivation should not come solely from external recognition. In reality though, there are interactions of so many considerations that it can be difficult to tease apart all the tendrils.
