by Jessica Lahey
Twice a year, we formally assess students’ writing. I hand out a prompt and grading rubric about one week before the date of the assessment in order to give the students time to organize their thoughts in advance of the prompt. They then have two class periods to write their essay. It allows us to create a portfolio of writing samples from about second grade on, and the assignment also gives them some practice writing timed essays in class. Usually, the prompts are expository, based on the literature we have been reading in class – the mid-year assessment was about Great Expectations in the seventh grade and A Tale of Two Cities in the eighth – but in the spring, when the flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and attention spans are short, I opt for a more creative topic.
This was the prompt I handed out last week:
Crossroads Academy’s core virtues curriculum is a central part of your education. Just as your education in math, literature and science informs your academic development, your education in the four core virtues informs your moral and social development. For your essay, please choose one of the virtues – justice, temperance, fortitude, or prudence – and write about a moment, experience, or event in your life when you relied on your education in the core virtues to guide you.
I love grading these essays. The students take it very seriously, and I am fascinated by their perspective on the core virtues, character education class, and the way students rely on the virtues to guide their actions.
The essays were sublime this year, and I loved reading all of them. But this one…this one stuck with me. I was impressed with the writing, but I was also deeply disturbed by my part in her ordeal and the lessons that she and her classmates may have taken away from the experience she describes. The author, Tea Levy, and her parents, have given me permission to share her words. Tea hopes that her words will help educators understand what end-of-year awards assemblies feel like from her seat in the bleachers.
The Problem With Awards
In seventh grade during one of the last weeks of school, everyone headed down to Bancroft to attend the “culminating final assembly.” At the assembly, awards were given out to the students who had earned them during the year. I watched as nearly all of my classmates walked down to the podium to receive awards, but when the awards ceremony was finally over, my name had not been called. One of the teachers asked everyone who had gotten an award to come to the front of the room to take a group picture. When all of the award-winners had left the bleachers, three of my classmates and I were the only ones left sitting. The experience was devastatingly humiliating for me, but through my anger, I learned the importance of perseverance and optimism.When my name was not called during the assembly, it made me feel inferior, as if my hard work had not been recognized, and my efforts wasted. I had done the very best I could on the National Mythology Exam, studied hard for the Grand Councours, and prided myself on my Latin poem, but after that morning the significance of all that seemed greatly diminished.
Suddenly I was angry. Angry with my teachers for creating what seemed to me at the time to be an exclusive and competitive atmosphere, but also angry with myself. I couldn’t understand why I was unable to be good enough to win or why everyone else seemed to be so much better than me. Optimism helped me cope with my anger. I had to remind myself that if I wanted to redeem myself, I would have to maintain a positive attitude. I reminded myself that the only way to have my efforts recognized in the future would be to remain as unfazed from this incident as possible and not limit myself based on my experiences.
The optimism I used to overcome this obstacle was linked closely to perseverance. My self-proclaimed failure gave me a new motivation to succeed that would push me through to the end of middle school. I wanted to prevail against the odds and become the perfect student. I quickly realized how unreasonable this goal was, but my desire to have my efforts acknowledged never faltered. I worked harder and concentrated harder and my work paid off. The first trimester of 8th grade I received my first straight A report card. This achievement made me feel as though my perseverance had been noticed, and I was elated.
Although I still look back on that morning with dissatisfaction, the experience taught me many things. First of all, I acknowledged the fact that they couldn’t give prizes to everyone without making the whole thing seem like a joke. But more importantly, I realized how much I wanted my efforts to be rewarded and that I have the power to ensure that they are.
Jessica Potts Lahey is a teacher of English, Latin, and composition at Crossroads Academy, an independent Core Knowledge K-8 school in Lyme, New Hampshire. Jessica’s blog on middle school education, Coming of Age in the Middle, where this piece also appears, can be found at http://jessicalahey.com.
Tears are streaming down my face as I sit in my office and read this. Tears for this very remarkable very woman who did not let the public humiliation deter her from achieving her goal. I am quite sure that there are few so young or even old who would adopt this positive attitude in the face of such a public event. Tears for the students that I may have inadvertently humiliated as I handed out awards at the end of each my 26 school years as a teacher. A cautionary tale for us all.
Comment by skillseditor — May 8, 2012 @ 5:02 pm
What a great piece. It does make me wonder just how many awards the school is giving, if all but 4 kids in a class get them. That’s a heck of a lot of prizes!
Comment by dangermom — May 8, 2012 @ 5:39 pm
She’s pretty amazing. She’s a great student, but one who fell through the cracks. However, as this essay proves, she’s one of those students who will rise to the top, no matter what.
I did not understand why anyone would be against our annual awards ceremony, and then she helped me understand. Lesson learned. We’ve changed our plans for this year because of Tea.
Thanks, skillseditor.
Comment by Jess — May 8, 2012 @ 5:46 pm
Oh, wow! I too sat up straight during those ceremonies, and often collected an award, and sometimes did not.
So, ultimately, do you feel there were 10 too many awards? Or 4 too few?
Comment by Sarah P. — May 8, 2012 @ 6:01 pm
I’m not sure. Either way, we did away with the format of that awards ceremony this year. This was before Tea’s essay emerged – a complete coincidence, by the way – but underlined our concerns.
Comment by Jess — May 8, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
My high school had a special award at graduation for a student who, while not a traditional overachiever, had shown an exemplary attitude and work ethic. I always thought that was a really good award to have, because every student had a chance at earning it. Not every student has the brains to be valedictorian, or the artistic talent to win the arts award, and so on. But having a good attitude and working hard is something that even average students can demonstrate.
Comment by Crimson Wife — May 8, 2012 @ 8:07 pm
What a sad story! We do not have these ceremonies in Holland, and I am heartily glad of it. Only truly exceptional students’ work may be recognized publicly in class in an ad hoc manner during the school year and when handing out diplomas at the end of high school, but not by way of “rewards”. I think this girl failed to learn a very important lesson, which is that if you exert yourself, you may be proud, no matter how your work compares to that of others. In the long run perseverance will yield a very rich harvest. I wonder what happened to those other three classmates who did not get any reward.
Comment by Kersje — May 9, 2012 @ 7:41 am
The other side to this are schools (and I teach in a few of them) in which there are no academic awards and all kids are honored for something. They get hokey fast.
What stayed with me about this piece of writing were the final few paragraphs. I remember having a similar feeling at a particular point in my middle school years: I distinctly remember sitting in my seat in the middle of the audience, watching those who stood up to accept their awards, and there was a moment when I wanted to blame everyone, from my parents, to the teachers, to the school, to awards in general.
I also remember acknowledging that I could have worked harder and chose not to.
It was a defining moment in my life not because I had worked hard and achieved, but because I was forced to face not having worked hard and was able to reflect on who I wanted to be.
Comment by S. Bridget — May 9, 2012 @ 12:50 pm
An amazing piece of writing, I love Tea because she went through all the stages of grief, and bounced back quickly, realizing that it was her choice to change the outcome the next year. This is the American Spirit personified.
I’m inclined to believe that there were too many awards being handed out if all but 4 students received something, but I’m gratified that this young woman did not go wailing home and have her parents show up at a school board meeting crying “foul”. I would love to have a class full of Tea Levys, those students who are motivated by the words, “great effort”, “nice work”, more than “you are smart”, or “you are pretty”.
Comment by Cindy — May 9, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
Interesting piece. It’s always enlightening to see the inner workings of our students’ minds. I commend Tea Levy for her self-awareness and positive attitude (although I think that any award system where all but a handful of students are recognized in such a public fashion is a bad idea).
Comment by Attorney DC — May 10, 2012 @ 12:17 pm
An award ceremony where only 4 go un-awarded does concern me, but here’s my major takeaway:
Tea was upset but then reconciled herself, and wrote beautifully about her process. Her family and (quite probably) her school and you, Miss Lahey, have helped her develop resiliency and self-awareness, which are the bases on which REAL self-esteem are built.
A particularly resonant line from “Death of a Salesman” states, “Life is an oyster but you don’t crack it open on a mattress.” You helped Tea struggle with hard texts and challenging assignments and, lo and behold, she’s getting tough. Disappointment and struggle don’t end but now she reacts to it more constructively.
This is an inspiring incident to me, not a sad or really even a cautionary one.
Comment by Carl Rosin — May 13, 2012 @ 2:53 pm
in #11: Miller not perfect from memory. The quotation is: “The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!”
Comment by Carl Rosin — May 13, 2012 @ 2:56 pm
Tea’s story is extremely motivating as a teacher and for students. Tea exhibited leadership qualities we as adults can learn from by using an experience as an opportunity for growth. Many teachers and students can learn from Tea’s story. Haim Ginott once said: “It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather…I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-esclalated…” Tea definitely chose to be a tool of inspiration for herself as she persevered in school and as a leader for herself and peers. Tea chose to heal her pain with hard work as she dedicated herself to achieving more in school. As teachers, we can learn a lot from Tea, facing adverse situations and finding how to make a positive out of what seems to be such a negative situation. Teachers can become leaders in their classroom, school, and district by creating their own climate, choosing to be an inspiration, and healing versus hurting others. We can all learn a lot by the example set by Tea.
Comment by Amber VanKirk — May 13, 2012 @ 9:05 pm
I shared this incident with my eigth and ninth grade students. Some of them totally agreed with Tea. Some said they felt her pain, because they experienced a familiar experience.I was very impressed with some of the student’s comments.I shared my point of view with my students encouraging them to always do their very best and to always believe in thenselves.I also told them that they have the power to control their own success. Many of them agreed that Tea had great motivation because she turned a negative situation into a positive situation with a successful
Comment by :Latoyia Cains — May 14, 2012 @ 4:19 pm
I shared this incident with my eigth and ninth grade students, and some of them totally agreed with Tea because they said that they experienced a similar incident that had an impact on their academic success. I shared my point of view with them and I explained to them that Tea turned a negative incident to a positive situation that ended successfully. Tea displays motivation by using something negative to encourage her to work to her fullest potential. This incident can have a great impact on both teachers and students becauase Tea’s words were very encouraging. Some of the students responded by saying Tea taught them to never give up and always believe in themselves. At the end of the class discussion I shared with my students that they have the power to control their own success. I also told them that they are very talented and to put their talents to use. Reading this blog change my views about issuses that I experience at the school I currently teach at.
Comment by :Latoyia Cains — May 14, 2012 @ 4:41 pm
Interestingly enough, I can identify with this young lady. For a time in high school the averages of the top ten students in each class would be posted on the notice board. Somehow, my average never got posted but it became a goal for me to work towards. Also, yearly there was an award ceremony where parents and the community at large were invited to participate The names of the students who were outstanding academically would be called out for an awards. Thankfully I few times my name was called, but it was rarely for my academic prowess.
At the end of each term at the school I am currently teaching, each academy has a special awards assembly. I find it to be a bit senseless and meaningless however because technically everyone is awarded. I find that some teacher leaders and administrators have grown afraid of students feel left out or embarrassed at these types of functions. As such, I see an effort being made for every child to get some form of commendation. I understand the common philosophy behind such an action. They often feel that when students receive an award, even if it is truly undeserved, it will serve as a motivation to get them to work harder next term. I have seen where the complete opposite turns out to be the end result. Sometimes the students who know the true worth of their efforts becomes less appreciative or motivated by their award when they see a colleague being awarded for an effort they cannot identified. For them it echos teachers and school being double standard. Similarly, the students who receive an award, knowing they are undeserving, usually walks across the platform to the amusement of everyone, laughing. It is no wonder that the certificates they are given rarely make it through the gates of the school.
I feel it is important to guide students in understanding what rewards mean or represent. I was always like Tea, intrinsically motivated to work hard so as not to be left behind when awards are being given out; I just could not handle the embarrassment, for lack of a better word. Teachers should aim to dialogue with students who fail to truly earn rewards prior to and subsequent to award ceremonies about the emotional and psychological component of receiving or not receiving awards. Only then perhaps will the awards received and not received will serve its intended purpose.
Comment by Delroy James — July 12, 2012 @ 7:43 pm