awards

Today I worked on writing up the awards for each of my students. This is yearly school tradition where every student in the school is honored for some quality they have shown or developed through the school year. Normally we have this awards ceremony on the last day of school. We call each student up and present them with their award and tell a little story about how they've shown this quality. This year we'll be recording our presentation (teachers only) and then live streaming the recording for students and families to watch. 

At first I was worried about trying to think of an award for each child since we haven't been together in so long and we rely so much on observation to help us. However, it has been really special to think back on our first 6 months of the year together and contemplate the qualities I saw shining in each student. This process is the highlight of my year as a teacher. No student can shine in every way, every day. It can be an exhausting job and I often wonder if we're making any progress but there is always some quality, some strength, that is developing and growing in each of us throughout the year. The awards ceremony reminds us all of what's really important and allows us to really honor the unique growth of each child and what makes them special in this moment in time.