I was listening to a Toronto talk show on the way home from one of my daughter's basketball games. I caught the end of the show which was debating the merits of recognizing students for academic and co-curricular awards. The talk show host was interviewing a Principal and had a panel discussing the merits of such a system in our schools.
In a nutshell, the Principal opposed awarding students at the end of a school year as it "alienates and adversely affects the self-esteem of the students who did not receive awards."
As I mulled over the opinions tossed around on the show, it did not change my opinion.
I believe in a system of awards as long as it embraces student success.
Two of our governing values revolves around continuous improvement and a commitment to excellence. We articulate that this may differ between students. Our expectation is that everyone (staff, support staff and students) gives their very best everyday.
Success is relative and can materialize in different forms depending on the student.
For example, student A could be an honour roll student who culminates his academic career with the Governor's General Award. Student B could be a great athlete who ends up winning Athlete of the Year. Student C could be a student who came from difficult personal circumstances. With the help of a caring teaching staff, interventions from the student success team, hard work from the student and financial help from the school, Student C achieves enough credits to graduate. A goal that seemed like an impossibility two years ago.
The key is to create an environment that celebrates its student achievements in different ways. Students in our Catholic Learning Environment understand that such recognition takes place in many different forms.
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.
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