A Worthy Trophy Makes All The Difference!
Friday, October 24th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
I have been an associate professor of English for years. The community college’s learning center was my home ground. Here was where education in all disciplines took place. There were classes with computer-aided instructions, auxiliary and other classes. One special feature involved students who came from varied income groups (these could not afford an education); those who had ethnic origins; those who were gifted but too poor; or had learning disabilities. Such students were covered under a Government-funded program. These students received service and support in the form of good educators, as well as stipends and scholarships. There were some mentally challenged students too. Naturally, we had to work hard to prepare some events for every season, have celebrations and contests, award trophies and prizes.
Since we were as keen as the government in promoting student success, we took to the program in a big way. the prize-giving ceremonies were only a culmination of all the hard work put in. Students, tutors, sponsors–all were rewarded for hard work, for bringing people together, for progressing in academics, and so on. Catalogues of awards and trophies would be ordered by me and two of my co-workers. Along with friends, we would pore over these books as if they were really great classics! Yes, the budget was limited, but that did not prevent us from choosing unusual trophies along with the more pragmatic awards.
It is important to know the recipient of the award. Say, a person is about to retire from service. And he is someone who is generally quiet by nature. For such a person, we ordered a plaque made of wood and gold that had our heartfelt appreciation etched on it. These words conveyed our appreciation for his dedication and diligence. Thus, an individual’s personality, style, likes and dislikes–all play a role when selecting an award for him or her.
After 9-1-1, and during the crunch time that many community college and other school districts suffered through, a number of our co-workers took the offer to retire earlylike the golden handshake, this offer ensured uncontested unemployment, a stipend for every year of service, and an opportunity to not only escape work but allow those who needed to stay to keep their jobs. My co-workers and I-in charge of the retirement parties and trophies and awards, the speeches, the itineraries, the foods, etc.-got a brilliant idea for which trophies and awards we would order. Because the learning center Trio program had been dubbed STAARS (for student academic achievement and retention services), we found, after much searching, these great Academy Award-like piecesa “gold” figure holding up a giant star. You get the implications, the metaphors, and the possibilities, right? And not only were these trophies and awards much more unique and greatly appreciated, they sure beat the old stand-by of a timepiece of sorts-a clock or a watch or what have you
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