Theoretically, or imaginatively, let's create a character named Grace. Grace is a member of the band program at her school which happens to be very large and prestigious. She works moderately hard on her instrument and is a respectable and attentive student who is always eager to learn. As her band director gets on the podium and starts to discuss summer camps for music, she instantly begins her wistful and hoping thoughts. "I would love to go to a music camp! I think it would help me become a better musician!" She goes home, does her research and asks her parents who respond with a median "We really hope you can go, but maybe pick a cheaper one because these camps are very expensive" attitude.
Grace returns to her band class the next day with a new perspective on music. She goes home and practices for one hour instead of just thirty minutes because she wants to improve and make the best out of whatever band camp she goes to. On the podium, her band director discusses scholarships. This instantly gets Graces attention, and she is listening with a keen ear. Once she gets home, she prints off the scholarship application and gets to work on her 200 word essay. Now, this is no small feat for Grace because writing is not her forte like math and science. In fact, she considered this essay hard and stressful because of it's value and importance. After her parents help her proofread, she takes it to her English teacher so he can proofread it as well. All of this effort goes into an essay that Grace considers to be the best essay she's ever written. She is proud to put it in her band director's folder and cannot wait for the awards ceremony to see if she received the much needed scholarship.
"Maybe if I get this scholarship, my parents will be more inclined to grant me permission to go to a nicer summer music camp. I can only give so much money because I don't have a job considering my busy summer school schedule. I really need this!"
The Band Awards role around and Grace's anxiety is paralyzing. She goes and sits with some of her friends from band, applauding as people around her win awards. One boy gets her attention as he wins an award and scholarship for being an outstanding Freshman musician. She expressed her congratulations and knew him as being someone in the upper Freshman band while she was in the lower one. Then the portion of the Awards changes to the scholarships that Grace had applied for. Her heart is racing, anxious to hear her name called. They read through the list of names and one of them is the same name that received the outstanding Freshman musician.
"That's awesome that he gets two scholarships! His parents must be very proud," she thinks to herself as the last of the names are read off. To her surprise, Grace's name was never uttered. Everyone goes up to receive their generous $250 scholarships to their music camps, as well as the boy who won another scholarship for his camp as well. Here Grace sits with zero scholarships while another boy sits with two. Grace is scared her parents will be mad at her so she never brings up the camp again. She loses interest in practicing alone over the summer and drops out of band the next year. All of this is because of one boy who won two, while Grace won none.
Are awards ceremonies worth it? I think an award should be an internal accomplishment, not a public affair. This story could easily happen after tonight, but let's hope that the person who won none has a strong soul, and let's hope that the person who won two knows how lucky he is.
No comments:
Post a Comment