A note came home in Scooter's book bag last week. It said:
"Your child will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony next Monday at 8:30. Please feel free to join us as we recognize the Kindergarten through Second grade students." ....or something pretty close to that.
I sent my dear ex-husband a text and said to meet me at the school that morning and we would sit together.
Monday morning, I dropped Scooter off at the front door at 8 a.m. and parked my car, trekked my way to the gym and found a seat with a great view and prepared to wait for the festivities to begin.
Ex shows up and joins me on the VERY hard bleachers. Kids start pouring in from their classrooms along with other excited parents.
8:30 on the dot, the Principal welcomes everyone, talks about how excited they are about the children and the awards and then introduces.....
......
the bus drivers.
{what?}
{who?}
{huh?}
Yes, the bus drivers kick off the school Awards Ceremony with Bus Rider Awards. Not joking. Fine, I'm good with recognizing children who behave on the bus. Safety is important. I clap enthusiastically for each child as the drivers tell a little about the kids, and each child walks to the front to receive their award.
{I look at my watch. Good thing I didn't say what time I would be at work. This shouldn't take more than an hour since they are only including Kindergarten through Second grade.}
The Principal steps back up to the microphone and introduces a ("a" - meaning one) Kindergarten teacher to come up and giver her awards.
{Great! One teacher at a time, they must only be giving the highest awards.}
That first teacher starts to speak. She talks lovingly about her year, the kids, how much she will miss her students. She then anounces she has 3 Perfect Attendence Awards. Again, one child at a time, she talks about them individually and calls them up to the front.
{Still applauding heartily for each child}
Then, this same teacher sends the Perfect Attendance kids back to their seats and she begins to tell us about another child. This child gets the Citizenship Award.
{I look at my watch. Four more Kindergarten classes to go. I begin to wonder about acedemic awards.... maybe they don't give those out to Kindergarten students?}
Kindergarten Teacher #2..... same scenario, same time frame, same Attendance and Citizenship Awards - just different kids)
{I'm still clapping.}
Kindergarten Teacher #3.......Ditto.
{Still clapping. Still wondering if there are any acedemic awards?}
Kindergarten Teacher #4.......Dittoooooo.
{Still clapping. (sore hands)}
Kindergarten Teacher #5.......Sigh.
{......clapping....}
Principal up to bat again at the microphone to announce 1st Grade. Yeah!
{Moving along......
I look at my watch.}
The first 1st Grade teacher stands up to speak and begins to tell about what a joy it is to have little So-And-So in her class EVERY day and would they please come up to receive their ...... (you got it!) .... Perfect Attendance Award!
{Me? I'm still clapping.}
{Yeah.}
That teacher goes on to announce, and call up individually, the other Perfect Attendance Awards and the class Citizenship Award.
{More clapping.}
Then,
1st Grade Teacher # 2 - carbon copy.
1st Grade Teacher #3 - ...... Originality? No. Same awards.
{I forget to clap.}
1st Grade Teacher #4........ Academics? Not yet but you gotta give it to this teacher because she made up a poem to go with each name.
{My eyes glaze over but I manage a half-hearted clap.}
{My butt is asleep. I'm tired. I'm bored. I'm getting cranky.}
{I look at my watch. I think "Surely there is more to this."}
Fast forward through 4 more 2nd Grade classes - INDIVIDUALLY. Same awards, only the teacher and kid's names change.
{I look at my watch. If I make it to work by lunch, I'll be doing good at this point.}
2nd Grade Awards are now over.
The Principal steps back up to the microphone to announce some other "very special awards". Finally! This has to be it! This has to be the spot in the program I came to see - my kid get an award! I know it isn't Perfect Attendance (long gone). I know it isn't the Citizenship Award (too many scuffles on the playground). I'm sure they are going to recogize some academic aspects of this student body. I just know it!
The next person called to the microphone to speak?
The Media Specialist.
And then the Computer Teacher.
And then the Art Teacher.
And then the Music Teacher.
..... all with awards to give out but none yet to have anything to do with acedemics.
Even the ESL Teacher gave awards. Six of them to be exact.
I half expected awards to be given for Bathroom Hand Washing.
{I've given up clapping for fidgeting.}
Finally, the moment I'd been waiting for really did arrive. The Gym Teacher stood and took the microphone and she said, "I had a lot of kids reach their Physical Fitness Goal this year. When I call your name, please stand where you are. Do NOT come to the front."
And with that, she started calling names, all the way down to "Scooter Bug" and beyond.
I clapped WILDLY! Scooter, along with 89 other kids, got the Physical Fitness Award!
But wait, he's not going up to the front for a certificate? No hugs? No tears? No picture with the gym teacher while the audience squirms and claps like all the other kids? She isn't going to sob while she expresses how much she will miss him????? I guess not.
WHAT?
I waited an hour an half for this?
Seriously?
Not to mention that not one single academic award was handed out. No whisper of test scores? No grades? No "A" Honor Roll?
I didn't and still don't get it.
Where's the pat on the back for the little girl who blew the EOGs out of the water?
Where's the handshake for the boy who scored nearly perfect on the state test?
Or the 5 year old who reads on a 10th Grade level?
Where's the recognition for the 8 year old boy who got 48 math problems correct in 3 minutes and shocked the pants off everyone?
No awards for those kids?
It was suggested to me by someone that, possibly, awards for acedemics aren't given because it could make some of the kids feel badly about themselves when they don't receive one. Really? You don't give an award to a really smart kid because a child who can't make those grades will feel bad? I guess anything is possible. That could be it.
Or,
Maybe it was just a "time saver" tactic? Ha.
I'm sorry but I'm honestly very happy the kids who were at school every day this year got an award in front of the whole school. I feel the same about the kids who got the Citizenship Award, the bus riders who behave, and especially the kids who are learning a new language. But, we don't put the focus on acedemics and we wonder what's happening to our schools?
Seriously, if it were up to me, I'd give an award to every kid for something and I'd certainly recogize academics.
....Wait a minute! Something just dawned on me! My kid doesn't even ride the bus! He is a car rider! So basically, he was discriminated against for not riding a bus. He never even had a shot at one of those awards! I hope it doesn't damage his self esteem.
