The Award for Every Student

Abstract

I was a high school principal for 11 of my 40+ years ineducation. Prior to that experience I’d worked with highschool dropouts for a dozen years in alternative educationprograms that were quite different from the traditional highschool to which I moved.When you work with students who struggle, you learn thattheir successes are real – if not newsworthy on a worldlyway. The celebrations of their successes – even if justbetween the teacher and the student – are important. Thereare high fives, hugs, hair ruffles, handshakes and any otherspontaneous celebration of that success that fits the moment.My oldest son struggled in school. He was so unrewarded forschool successes that he began to become celebrated for hisanti-school behaviors. Fortunately, there was an alternativehigh school in our school district that helped him find hisway to graduation and then through few semesters at acommunity college. Today he is a good husband, father andson. He is surrounded by loving people who he loves. He isamong the working poor yet never discourages for what hedoesn’t have. In short, he turned out to be a great success tome in all the ways that matter most.