Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f56Co8f16811; Wed, 6 Jun 2001 08:50:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 08:50:08 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <3B1E2665.341E6A6@ellijay.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Art LaChance <arthur@ellijay.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:3477] Re: FW: Humiliating Awards Ceremony at School X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win98; I) Status: O Content-Length: 2871 Lines: 49 Kathleen, I rest my case based on your last paragraph here. The chances of that scenario resulting from an "Award" is so high, on both sides, that I prefer to avoid it. Except for the final completion certificates as previously stated. I've been on both sides myself, receiving and watching, and knowing neither of us "deserved" any unusual recognition for "that" work. Very seldom will it have the effect intended because the psychology of it is not that black and white. More often than not it turns out to be a negative experience, covered by "celebration". Art KathleenBombach@aol.com wrote: > I know this is going away from the trend, but I remember receiving an award > in elementary school, a bit of recognition that was for me the first time I > was ever told I had an ability, a talent that other people recognized. We > had a contest to draw and color an Easter egg on construction paper and cut > it out. My egg was picked as the best one for the whole grade, and all the > teachers told me I had artistic talent and should be an artist. From that > point on I knew I had a talent, even if I did so poorly in school in all the > other subjects. It made a big difference in how I perceived myself, and I > still have that egg. It meant more to me than the later nomination by art > professors I received for a Ford Foundation fellowship in painting at the > University of Texas. > > I have had families of a murdered student come in two days after he died > because they wanted every award and certificate that their teenage son had > earned in the program. We started giving out certificates for each separate > GED test passed because students were so proud of them. My own children have > always liked getting certificates and recognition for real school > accomplishments. Maybe that is the key--real achievements, not hokey things > and those that send a hidden negative message, like my daughter's award for > 'class clown'. > > When a person works hard to achieve something, that recognition becomes a > tangible symbol of that work. But recognition must be handled with a whole > lot more sensitivity than lots of recognitions are. I have even gotten a > recognition that I saw be very demoralizing to other students who had worked > a lot harder for a lot longer than I had. I won a nationally juried short > story contest at UT-El Paso with the first story I ever wrote in the first > creative writing class I ever took, something that did not endear me to the > MFA and BFA students in creative writing who had worked on their craft for > years. I never felt comfortable with those students again and eventually I > quit writing short stories. Because I had not paid my dues, they were > angered and I was apologetic. I was no longer a fellow student working at my > craft--I was an interloper, even a fraud. > Kathleen Bombach
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 18 2002 - 11:27:58 EST