finding Cinderella

I was given a peer recognition award in August that I will need to unload onto someone else soon. This award was given to me for fulfilling the terms of my contract, indeed doing my least for my greatest. Don’t be confused, almost everything I do is out of calculated self-interest; I do not have an unselfish bone in my body. I thought it was deplorable that this award, which is supposed to be for excellence, was conferred on me for almost no reason. I have a sneaking suspicion that I was given the award because the laureate before me couldn’t think of someone better.

I am fully aware that the award was given to me for discharging the duties of my office to the best of my abilities so help me deity who I cannot mention specifically by name out of deference to the secular authorities who butter my bread unless I am defaming said deity. Now I am faced with the task of handing off the award to someone else and feel like I am in a modern, fractured fairy tale.

Like Prince Charming searching for his Cinderella I have searched high and low for the right fit. First, I thought that language arts teacher who says really witty things that flirt with insubordination would be a good candidate because I feel that she says what everyone else is thinking. After careful consideration I felt I had to move on to someone else because it would be obvious that I was picking her because she is saying what I would say if my boss was stupid enough to call on me during a faculty meeting. This teacher would not do because then I would get both of us into hot water.

Then, I thought I should give it to someone who is usually very lazy and rude that had a rare moment of professional comportment the week before our break until I realized that she was just being less lazy and less rude than someone else (laziness and rudeness being relative and subjective).

I thought to give it back to the person who gave it to me but there are no tag-backs. I went through the faculty directory and realized that while everyone I work with is good at their job most of us only do what we must or were already honorees. Then, I had to attend a parent meeting and accidentally found the person on whom I could pawn this award.

We have a student with a cleft palate who comes from a less fortunate family. This teacher said at the meeting that she would explore charitable organizations that might help this student’s predicament and get back to everyone. I was impressed with this sentiment because while I might dream up school related things to do over breaks they never actual happen.

When I am not at school I am busy paving the road to Hell with my good intentions, steadfastly wasting any good karma I have banked while teaching and doing my part to maintain America’s place as the industrialized world’s most obese nation. I might think to help someone like that but I never actually would; even if I wanted to I would be distracted by something shiny and move on to another activity.

Then, after the break, this teacher comes to me and has found a charity that will help this student. All we need to do is collect a measly $250 – a fortune to her parents to be sure, but not something a rather large faculty couldn’t scrape together. Since I’ve consistently remained sober at all faculty functions I am also confident that I can motivate any reluctant philanthropists using the time-tested method of blackmail. More importantly, I have found my Cinderella.

It doesn’t take an exceptional person to do what this teacher has done but it does take someone who cares. Most teachers try NOT to think about students when they’re not at school. Few would look into their students problems in their off time and even fewer would have a solution in place to said problems to the tune of lining up a bargain basement life-transforming surgery. If that isn’t worthy of recognition than nothing is and I cannot imagine anything I have ever done for a student approaches what this teacher has done.

Certainly, a small plaster eagle is not sufficient to recognize this person’s efforts but people do not go into this profession for material gain. People go into teaching one of two reasons, June and July off or July and August off. Short of a Lifetime Original Drama playing itself out at school I can think of no greater deed than this to recognize.

This eagle will also seem insignificant when that student comes back to school with a new smile.

Comments

[Calulu]

Be thankful you are not tasked with teaching Neighbor Pam's hellions...

[Margaret]

Oh, yes, she deserves the award. I like to TRY to leave school at school. There are too many problems, and not enough time or energy or resources to fix them. It can get depressing!

[Rebekah]

just wanted to let you know what a GREAT post I found this to be!