Allison Spillman's List: general information

• Children are likely to become enthusiastic, lifelong learners as a result of being provided with an engaging curriculum; a safe, caring community in which to discover and create; and a significant degree of choice about what (and how and why) they are learning. Rewards–like punishments–are unnecessary when these things are present, and are ultimately destructive in any case.
• Awards eventually lose their luster to students that get them, while often hurting the self-esteem and pride of those who don’t.
• tudents should know where there strengths are and what they need to work on, not how they fit in our magical grading
• As parents, it is important to let your kids know when you are seeing good things from your kids, WHEN you are seeing them.  I also do not remember my mom and dad sorting us by who did what better in our family.  We each had our own unique gifts as kids in my family, and we were recognized for that.  Should it not be the same in a school?  Does the term “caring and safe” match with “ranking and sorting”?  Awards definitely lend to the latter and do nothing to create that caring and safe environment.
• An essential 21st century skill is being able to collaborate.  No matter what awards system you use, you are promoting individuals as opposed to the efforts of working together. 
• Take two students.  One from a home that is well off with both parents supportive and able to help their child.  The other from a single parent family where the parent has to work considerably to make ends meet.  Although both families love their children with all of their heart, one has more advantages in their life.  The “privileged” child is not really engaged in academics, does not work hard, but is able to easily meet all the “rubric” requirements for the year.  The other child works their butt off their entire year, has little support at home, does whatever they can, but pulls off a 70% average.  Who would you give the award too?

• In our report card, Miss Butler took a cut out of a smurf (one of my favourite things when I was a child – cue embarrassing moment here) and wrote to me on it how I impacted her that year, and what some of her favourite memories were of me.  She wrote how much she loved how positive I was and my sense of humour with others.

   

  The thing was, she did this with everyone.  I did get an award that year for academics, but what I remember most is that card and how it made me feel. I remember the classroom BUZZING at the end of the year and everyone went home feeling like THEY were an amazing person that impacted that classroom.  It was not that I was the “smartest” or the “best recycler” (you know, the award for the kid that doesn’t fit into any of the “categories”), but I was a person that was special.
• Schools are not about ranking and sorting. They are about learning and creativity in a safe and caring environment.  They are about empowering all students, not just the ones that are strong at the core subjects. If I continuously tell our students that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is important to our school, I do not see how awards align with this belief.  Do you?

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