During Rafa’s Moving Up ceremony from his old school, he received an award called the “King of Commitment Award.” According to his teacher, this award was given to Rafa for being super dependable, following rules, and helping others without being asked. In fact, during Rafa’s evaluation, his teacher told us that Rafa was like a big brother or kuya to his classmates. Of course, Mommy Khris and I were beaming with pride because of this award, especially with the thought that we are on the right track in terms of raising our kids. It’s a long way to go, that’s for sure, but at least we are off to a good start.
On another note, I appreciate schools that give non-academic awards to their pupils. I know for many parents, it’s always a source of pride and joy when their children get academic awards. Of course, I’d be happy also if my kids get an academic award as well, because it’s a form of validation that they are doing well in terms of their studies. However, if we focus too much on academic awards, we might be encouraging our kids to focus on just one area of development.
At some point, they might become too competitive or too preoccupied with just getting good grades and forget that there are other areas of growth that should be appreciated just the same, like a talent in performing, a special skill when it comes to crafts, being good people, and other similar aptitudes or characteristics. I think, in the end, what’s important is we raise a child to their full potential, and who is generally happy because they are able to pursue the things that they truly like (and be who they want to be).
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| Rafa with his award |
I remember some classmates who were in high school who were pressured by their parents to perform academically. They were always crying after every grading period if they didn’t get perfect scores. They got numerous academic awards, but I never wanted to be in their shoes. Same thing with my kids, I’d appreciate their achievements, big or small, whether academic or not.
To end this post, I’d like to ask you one thing – how important is academics to you? I hope you will share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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