Zach's Award

Today was the last day of school for Zach, our only grade-schooler. That means he is now ready for fourth grade, which he will be entering in the fall. And he got an award!

Zach's teacher, Mrs. Procaccini, handed out "awards" to each kid in the class, providing positive reinforcement for the children's best traits. They'd already gotten their report cards (Zach made straight A's, including 100% in Science!) but this was for the kinds of things that regular grades overlook. Zach's award was for "Most Positive Thinker", and she told the story of how he won this award.

It seems the class had been taken on a field trip, and everything had gone wrong. The weather was bad; the thing the kids had gone to see had been disappointing, and by the end of the day everyone's spirits were down—everyone, that is, except Zach. Seeing that his teacher was as disappointed as his classmates, Zach went up to her and said, "Don't feel bad. We had fun anyway, and we're all together!"

As she told the story, Mrs. Pocaccini's voice broke. Obviously, Zach had really raised her spirits. And so he got his award.

The straight A's are nice. But Zach's positive attitude is what I'm really proud of.