Wrote this a year ago. Still rings true ... especially around this time of year.
I did manage to get to one end-of-the-year awards ceremony — Santa Lucia Jr. High. They don’t tell you if your child’s receiving an award at this school — so last year I didn’t go and my daughter was honored — another moment from the Kirsten Hall of Shame. So after inadvertently blowing off my son's awards ceremony last week I made sure to take time off and was there with bells on this morning. My girl said she’d at least be receiving the perfect attendance award. What mom wouldn’t fully support that?
I’m sitting among parents whose children are receiving awards in band, math, science, language, history, PE … but not one for my baby girl. Not entirely her fault. Her friend is an exceptional student and swept every category. My daughter did indeed receive the attendance award (along with about 100 other students they called up to the front individually — it was an excruciatingly long ceremony!) Then it happened. They announced the honor roll students … Oh yeah, she did make honor roll the first quarter. So she got to go up. She was beaming. I was happy for her. The friend's mom turned to me and said “Yay!" I gave her two thumbs up and said, “We got one!”
I’d give my daughter 50 awards for her efforts this year. She may not be a straight-A student, but she gives 100 percent and is kind to every soul she meets. I couldn’t be prouder.
Many of my former preschool students were honored (some are in sixth and seventh grade now). I was happy for them. They’re hard workers and really deserve it. And I can’t say I don’t take a little of the credit for giving them their academic start. But my heart goes out to the kids sitting on the bleachers whose names were never called. (That was my boy … always.) To have to sit there for two hours watching everyone else in the school rake in the honors. Who’s to say these kids aren’t just as special or talented as the ones doing exactly what their teachers expect of them? It’s clear the kids on the bleachers don’t fit into the “ideal student” mold — whatever that is. But are they less special? Delinquents? Today’s ceremony didn’t do much to dispel any negative beliefs these kids might have of themselves, did it? Sad, really. I think the opposite of the bleacher kids. These are the ones who will go on to do amazing things … if they know they’re loved and are lucky enough to be inspired.
I don’t think I like awards ceremonies very much.
I’m sitting among parents whose children are receiving awards in band, math, science, language, history, PE … but not one for my baby girl. Not entirely her fault. Her friend is an exceptional student and swept every category. My daughter did indeed receive the attendance award (along with about 100 other students they called up to the front individually — it was an excruciatingly long ceremony!) Then it happened. They announced the honor roll students … Oh yeah, she did make honor roll the first quarter. So she got to go up. She was beaming. I was happy for her. The friend's mom turned to me and said “Yay!" I gave her two thumbs up and said, “We got one!”
I’d give my daughter 50 awards for her efforts this year. She may not be a straight-A student, but she gives 100 percent and is kind to every soul she meets. I couldn’t be prouder.
Many of my former preschool students were honored (some are in sixth and seventh grade now). I was happy for them. They’re hard workers and really deserve it. And I can’t say I don’t take a little of the credit for giving them their academic start. But my heart goes out to the kids sitting on the bleachers whose names were never called. (That was my boy … always.) To have to sit there for two hours watching everyone else in the school rake in the honors. Who’s to say these kids aren’t just as special or talented as the ones doing exactly what their teachers expect of them? It’s clear the kids on the bleachers don’t fit into the “ideal student” mold — whatever that is. But are they less special? Delinquents? Today’s ceremony didn’t do much to dispel any negative beliefs these kids might have of themselves, did it? Sad, really. I think the opposite of the bleacher kids. These are the ones who will go on to do amazing things … if they know they’re loved and are lucky enough to be inspired.
I don’t think I like awards ceremonies very much.
