Honor Roll is for all of us

I so enjoyed attending the Honor Roll assembly earlier this week. Of course, I will admit I would not have been there if Teddy was not receiving recognition himself. And while I am happy that he made Honor Roll all the quarters this year, I am disappointed that he did not make Principal's List.

I hope that I am not the stereotypical Asian mom that expects perfect scores and a Harvard education for all her kids. I know every child is unique, and there will be things each of my sons is less capable and more capable at.

However, Teddy had straight A's in all his subjects except Math. In Math, he got a B+. Even that is a miracle, since he had some D's and C's mid-quarter, which were the direct result of inattention and lack of effort. Teddy is a very bright boy. I know he does not care for math, it is not his FAVORITE like writing or goofing around in class. BUT, this bright child of ours has qualified for the school's gifted program, so it is not that he cannot do the work. He just would rather complain and whine about his math homework for AN HOUR before actually starting. Granted, it requires THINKING, and all that THINKING meant it actually took 45 minutes to finish that page of math. The rest of his homework is so easy for him, he is done in 15 minutes. BUT, please note that he turned a 45 minute assignment into an hours plus 45 minutes, and whew, that's a lot of video gametime he just lost out on 'cuz he'd rather whine.

But I digress. Honor Roll assembly.

I really enjoy seeing the other kids get their certificates. There is Principal's List for straight A's, and Honor Roll for As and Bs. There is also Bug Roll for students who improve a full letter grade in any subject over the course of the year. There was loud (non-golf) clapping from the kids called up for Bug Roll, as their friends recovered from the shock. Everyone knows who the Honor Roll and Principal's list kids are. But Bug Roll could be any of them. Academic recognition for Everykid.

And I like seeing the parents. Many of us know each other, which is not surprising. Since there is a strong correlation between parents who volunteer and children who thrive in school, we've run into each other in the classroom, on field trips, and other school events.

I also like getting to know the kids who are doing well in school--those are the ones I want to encourage my kids to hang out with. And I can check out the kids who cannot sit still for the 1-hour ceremony. I'll keep an eye on them when they show up on the birthday party invitation list. Honor Roll as both community building event and tween stakeout.