I have been invited to guest blog in this space and have enthusiastically accepted the honor. These thoughts are my own and should not used for any purpose other than approved specifically by me. It might be better to not use them for even those purposes.
We have awaited the report card which arrived recently with great anticipation. Having monitored progress this past quarter, I was sure that the outcome would be positive. In fact, I was relatively certain that this would be the best report of the boy's academic career to date. I even went so far as to speculate about whether it would be a perfect report - that is, one with an A in every subject. Inevitably as we discussed the forth-coming report the question arose as to whether I had ever received a perfect report card. I was forced to admit that, in fact, I have not. The truth of the matter is quite a bit starker, but I was able to answer the direct question and through some great fortune, there was no follow-up that might been more revealing. Not yet, anyway. I don't doubt that it will come in due time. But it is already too late to have a detrimental impact, so I needn’t worry on it.
But this notion of the straight-A report card got me thinking. I playfully referred to it as mythical because, in fact, I have not only never received one, I have never actually seen one. I have never personally known anyone who has received one. So it is, to me, like a beast in the forest who has no name. It is stalked and hunted with fervor and skill, but is elusive. Just when you lunge right and think you are about to grab it by the tail, it darts left and it is off again leaving only a small cloud of dust. The scent that permeates the report card that was recently delivered is as close as I have ever been to the beast. The boy assuredly has the academic scrapes and bruises that are the tell-tale signs of his quest. I admire that his resolve is heightened with every attempt he makes to corner his prey. It is what convinces me that he will eventually be successful in this endeavor.
But wait…
I came to a new realization based on recent developments. The boy is being evaluated for inclusion in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. While I was initially being whimsical in my description of the “Mythical Straight-A Report Card” perhaps I was a bit closer to the reality of the matter than I intended. For just as he has risen from the dirt, with scuffed knee and moist brow, with a tuft of course fur in his clenched fist – just as he has figured out how to track the beast and how to out-think it and out-maneuver it – just as he is about to achieve his goal – the rules of the game are about to change!
With acceptance into GATE, the wilderness in which he hunts will become broader. The beast itself will grow larger and more cunning. The effort and stamina required will increase. The frustrations will multiply and the intimidating roar will grow louder. The boy will be required to take a few steps back to regroup and rework his strategy. It will require an investment of time and effort to build the new level strength and endurance required to capture the beast.
The timing of these events is no coincidence. For, I realize now, our mythical beast must remain ever-elusive. The satisfaction of catching it will be fleeting. It is the hunt itself that is the most important most valuable part of the endeavor.
- Rossi
We have awaited the report card which arrived recently with great anticipation. Having monitored progress this past quarter, I was sure that the outcome would be positive. In fact, I was relatively certain that this would be the best report of the boy's academic career to date. I even went so far as to speculate about whether it would be a perfect report - that is, one with an A in every subject. Inevitably as we discussed the forth-coming report the question arose as to whether I had ever received a perfect report card. I was forced to admit that, in fact, I have not. The truth of the matter is quite a bit starker, but I was able to answer the direct question and through some great fortune, there was no follow-up that might been more revealing. Not yet, anyway. I don't doubt that it will come in due time. But it is already too late to have a detrimental impact, so I needn’t worry on it.
But this notion of the straight-A report card got me thinking. I playfully referred to it as mythical because, in fact, I have not only never received one, I have never actually seen one. I have never personally known anyone who has received one. So it is, to me, like a beast in the forest who has no name. It is stalked and hunted with fervor and skill, but is elusive. Just when you lunge right and think you are about to grab it by the tail, it darts left and it is off again leaving only a small cloud of dust. The scent that permeates the report card that was recently delivered is as close as I have ever been to the beast. The boy assuredly has the academic scrapes and bruises that are the tell-tale signs of his quest. I admire that his resolve is heightened with every attempt he makes to corner his prey. It is what convinces me that he will eventually be successful in this endeavor.
But wait…
I came to a new realization based on recent developments. The boy is being evaluated for inclusion in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. While I was initially being whimsical in my description of the “Mythical Straight-A Report Card” perhaps I was a bit closer to the reality of the matter than I intended. For just as he has risen from the dirt, with scuffed knee and moist brow, with a tuft of course fur in his clenched fist – just as he has figured out how to track the beast and how to out-think it and out-maneuver it – just as he is about to achieve his goal – the rules of the game are about to change!
With acceptance into GATE, the wilderness in which he hunts will become broader. The beast itself will grow larger and more cunning. The effort and stamina required will increase. The frustrations will multiply and the intimidating roar will grow louder. The boy will be required to take a few steps back to regroup and rework his strategy. It will require an investment of time and effort to build the new level strength and endurance required to capture the beast.
The timing of these events is no coincidence. For, I realize now, our mythical beast must remain ever-elusive. The satisfaction of catching it will be fleeting. It is the hunt itself that is the most important most valuable part of the endeavor.
- Rossi
1 comment:
I wish I had gotten a Mythical Straight-A Report card. I aways got B+'s. I HATED B+'s...they always meant that you worked hard enough for an A but aren't smart enough to get it. Now that I am on the other side of the fence, the educator side, I enjoy and am proud of B+'s when they grace my gradebook. It means that the class isn't TOO easy but with some work and dedication, you too can be a B+'er.
Wait - did you even see B+'s on your report card, Rossi?
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