My daughter is in 2nd grade. Last week I received a note in a sealed envelope from her teacher. Extremely confidential. It read something like...

"Your child has achieved a major accomplishment in which an award will be received at Tuesday's award ceremony. This is to be a surprise. Please do not tell your child."

Wow. She's getting a major award!! I couldn't stop my mind from wondering and dreaming of what her great accomplishment was. She is one of the top three readers in the 2nd grade. It's based on a point system that varies daily, but she has remained at the top. I pretty much decided that MUST be why she'd get an award. Or Art. She always does outstanding with art.

After getting her dressed in her pretty Hello Kitty dress, and watching as she and her brother boarded the school bus, I went home to quickly change and get to the school for the big ceremony.

We sang the school song and stood and recited the Pledge Of Allegiance. I could see my daughter looking for me. I am short. She is short. She didn't see me. I moved around and everything. Switched seats. Made noise. Meh. Oh well.

First up: honor roll. Wait. These kids are still graded with S for satisfactory and O for outstanding. My daughter only gets an O in art. This is not her award. Okay. Moving on.

Second Award: Perfect Attendance. Yeah. That's what the great accomplishment was. My daughter hasn't missed a day of school. Am I missing something? What about those kids who had the flu or perhaps a funeral to attend? They are sitting there sad.

What's my point? I don't think we should be giving out awards for "showing up". It should be academic awards seeing as it is SCHOOL. Right? Someone help me understand please.