Our middle school staff just had a lively conversation about the possibility of making some changes to our student-led monthly award assemblies. Currently our middle school staff gives monthly awards such as perseverance, problem-solving, common sense, etc. Kids also get lottery coupons for doing something positive, earning a high grade on a test, etc. Some of the conversation was about whether giving awards for high scores should be done in a public setting such as an assembly. Other suggestions were to reward students for academic excellence by inviting them to a breakfast with the principal or other event and to use assemblies to recognize kids in other ways. Does receiving an award motivate kids? How does it impact kids who may never receive an award? What happens if some grade levels give most of the class an award each month? One of our questions is how does receiving/not receiving awards impact students' self esteem and future performance. What do other schools do for award assemblies?
