<p>At my son’s middle school graduation as all the kids (about half of a class of 400 or so) went up to get their awards, my son turned to me and said, “I’m smarter than most of them,” in a voice which made me realize something had finally clicked inside his head. </p>
<p>However, when his first 5 week progress report came home I realized the effect was obviously fleeting. </p>
<p>We pulled him out and put him in private school after that.</p>
<p>At my older D’s HS awards night, there was a scholarship that had been created by some group or another. The parent giving out the award stated that the award was created because “there is already so much support for kids at the extreme ends of the spectrum - those who excelled, and those who had special needs.” This award was intended for a student in the middle.</p>
<p>While I am sure that the recipient appreciated getting some $ (not a lot, a few hundred), how does one brag about getting the “Average Student Award”?</p>
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<p>Maybe my kids are just cynical but they would have hated that.</p>
<p>At our hs they invite the honorees and their families to attend. All is known is that you are receiving an award. The kids sit on stage and the parents in the audience. Awards are given for academic departments and for events like Quiz Bowl, etc. It highlights all things academic…plus attendance. Some brilliant administrator likes to leave that award announcement until the event is almost over. The “attendance kids” get to sit up there while there names are not called for all their classes, sometimes sitting next to a kid with 5 trophies. While I think perfect attendance is an admirable thing, I feel there has to be a better place to honor it than the academic awards, if only for the sad look on the faces of the kids that are hoping all night that they might actually have won an award in one of their subjects.</p>
<p>Thankfully the Senior Awards are held on a different night, so the evening is not endless.</p>
<p>School Board cancels all merit raises for teachers because it would be devastating for all those dedicated teachers who did not get a raise.</p>
<p>Prozack2 "how does one brag about getting the “Average Student Award”? "</p>
<p>They can call it the George Costanza Award.</p>
<p>In my kids HS they cancelled the distribution of superior medals for solo/ ensemble for jazz/symphonic band students, not to upset the students who did not get them. Also they stopped distributing awards for middle school students that got straight A. My middle student got upset because he was just starting school and he wanted to try to get the award and be on stage. My HS student had received several medals and felt that the school did not give the band students the honor they deserved ( many got medals, specially seniors). However when sports teams won medals they continue to distribute them and celebrate, not caring for all the other students that do not play sports or played in other teams . Is that a double standard?</p>
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<p>You would have gotten the ‘best post of the tread’ award but alas, the awards ceremony has been cancelled so that other posters are not devastated ;)</p>
<p>Lol! Great answer!</p>
<p>The merit pay comment would be funny but unfortunately in the state of NJ it is true. The teacher contract forbids merit raises, instead all teachers get equal raises (based solely upon number of years teaching and highest degree obtained). </p>
<p>They even got rid of teacher of the year awards in my elementary school district because all the teachers are teacher of the year and they don’t want to single anyone out.</p>
<p>I think the awards can be hard because they are often pretty arbitrary. At my D’s school teachers gave one student of merit award in each disclipline… one each for middle school, one for HS and one for Seniors… so that is a lot of awards, but you have to be that ONE for each one… math award, social studies, etc, and it seems the same few students got multiple ones. I like awards that are achievements that anyone could hypothetically work towards and earn in a predictable way rather than ones that a single teacher just selects… even though my D did get some her Sr. Year.</p>
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<p>I think just the opposite. It’s middle school. Time for parents to chill.</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. What’s up with all the coddling?</p>
<p>I’ll be upfront. I like awards. But not very many…a few select awards for the very few. And a couple specials can get thrown in–I don’t care. They should be presented before the whole student body because they’re special.
Regular “rounds of applause” type awards are to be done on a more local level–class room, club level, whatever. The BEST of the “round of applause” member can be recognized at another whole school award night if warranted in some way.
My Middle school only recognized two people–the girl and boy with the highest GPA over the entire 3 years (7th-9th) (should’ve probably just been the top 2 regardless of gender but I don’t think it mattered at the time).
In HS only seniors were recognized at a final whole school assembly. Lots of awards given but we weren’t a huge school so it didn’t last forever.</p>
<p>At my son’s HS school they did a very special award to someone who WAS extra special in their academic achievements–they’ve only given it 3 times in the entire school history. It was special to faculty and students–because it WAS so special. It meant something.</p>
<p>DS is a senior and was the sixth man on his basketball team (he averaged only 4 points and 4 rebounds per game). At the end of the season, the coaches in the Region (roughly 50 schools) held their awards banquet to honor the star athletes. We were surprised to receive an invitation until we found out DS was named the Regional Academic All-Star. His high school announced the award and really made him feel good.</p>
<p>There were roughly 20 basketball studs at the banquet, including two or three who have received D-1 scholarship offers. We were surprised again when it was announced that the Academic All-Star would receive a scholarship for a few hundred dollars. He pointed out that he can now say he was offered a basketball scholarship.</p>
<p>Okay, I know, coddling, feelings, blah blah blah. The point is: I don’t really see any point to having an “honors night,” regardless of how the non-honors students feel about it, though that matters, too. It just teaches the honors students to feel superior about themselves via a qualification that’s pretty arbitrary. If they have it, I’d rather they keep it pretty low-key.</p>
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<p>I’d only agree if the same is applied to athletes or non-academic touchy-feely type awards made mainly on the basis of whom the teacher concern likes/favors. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I’d disagree…especially considering we live in a society where there’s a strong undercurrent of anti-intellectualism and denigrating high academic achievement/achievers. If anything, I’m of the opinion we need to do more to honor and appaud high academic achievers such as those winning academic honors…not less.</p>
<p>Cobrat I agree with you. My kids are not straight A students but we all admire the kids that are high achievers. We are not jealous or feel bad about it, on the opposite. My kids know that some kids are naturally smart but even the smartest one put a lot of work to be top of the class.</p>
<p>I agree with cobrat. In my hs the hardworking kids (not me necessarily) who MADE the hs “elite” were largely ignored and attention went primarily to the low achieving kids. It was fustrating.</p>
<p>I hated the awards both when some went to my D’s and ones that did not. Very political either way. </p>
<p>ALso, I just want to say that in my medical school the guy that got pretty much all the awards lost his license a few years ago for ethical /illegal reasons. I did not get a single award. yup- doing fine.</p>