More Than Just Three Awards

My daughter attends a therapeutic day school in a neighboring city. Our district determined that her needs could best be met there. Today they had their annual awards assembly. This school gets it. Every child receives an award. They also have special awards. Last year my daughter received just the one award. Today she received three. My husband and I couldn't have been prouder. Each of these awards represents a lot of hard work on Princess's behalf.

The classroom award that she received was for reading.

This award is significant because it represents many hours that Princess has spent reading. She's currently reading at a 12th grade level. This is something that she excels at.

She also received an Honor Roll award.

The special significance behind this award is that even though Princess is bright, her behaviors have always prevented her from truly showing all that she is capable of. At her previous school, she spent much of her time avoiding work.

The one that surprised me the most was this PE award.

 When Princess was in first grade, she clashed with her PE teacher. In subsequent years, she performed only marginally better. This year she decided she was going to change that. She asked her school therapist if she could meet with her current PE teacher so she could figure out how to get along better with her classmates. For his part, this amazing teacher agreed to the meeting. Then he worked with Princess to come up with a plan to ensure that she was successful. This award represents an ongoing commitment for both Princess and her PE teacher.

My daughter still has some growing to do, but she has come so far. This school is the perfect school for her. I'm so happy to see how much she is thriving there.

At the close of the ceremony, a wonderful video was shown. The students were asked to fill in this blank: This school makes me feel.... My daughter said, "successful." I couldn't agree more.