Posted by
Doctor Bart on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:09:42 AM
The end of the school year has arrived, bringing many welcome realities, including no more homework (which means no more helping with homework!) and no more sack lunches (which is my job, and I hate it!). The end of the year also brings final exams, report cards, and academic awards.
I have never been a huge fan of academic awards. As someone who always did well, it seemed a little strange to receive additional recognition in front of peers who either don't care at all or who care enough to hate the people who outperformed them. In some sense doing well, and the success it breeds, is underrated. It is after all the only part of academic achievement that continues on. I can say from experience that the honors I received have not made one iota of difference. I daresay there is not a single patient in my practice who can name a single award I have received. What they do know is whether or not they got better from my treatment, and whether or not I cared.
But something happened this week to change my opinion about academic awards. My daughter got one. Before I get accused of hypocrisy, her award was different. She is not an A student. She is not even really a solid B student. She is more of a B minus student to be honest. But she is the hardest working student I have seen. Day after day she battles her homework without complaint, continuing on longer than I ever did. I have listened while my wife went over and over and over material for a test, and felt the disappointment when the score came back as a C, sometimes worse. Yet she continued on, without a hint of discouragement.
The night before her awards assembly at her Lutheran Middle School, not even knowing the assembly was to occur, I talked with her about how proud I am of her. Using the Bible story of the widow who in giving 2 cents to the temple was praised for giving all she had, I told her how God wants our hearts and our efforts, and that results are secondary. I explained that her giving her all to get a C was more valuable than someone else cruising to an A. Not in terms of knowledge or success, but in what it shows about character. and since character is what matters most, I was proud of her.
At the awards assembly, they handed out the honor roll recognitions and the various other success based awards, and then the teacher presented an achievement award. The award was given to "Someone who always gave 110%, and always had a smile on her face." The smile got bigger when her name was announced, and continued throughout the day. I was grateful that at least for that day, someone took the time to honor what really matters in life, which is what is in the heart, not the head.