Work Text:
I never understood the adults that got mad at the idea of participation awards. Awards naturally are
rewarded. It is not in the award winner’s power to control what kind of prize they receive or who gets
them. Especially when it comes to kids, all a kid can do is meet the requirements needed. Plus, the
requirements are arborary! It is not like there is a special handbook being passed around of
requirements or goals needed with every award created. It is purely up to the award granter.
For example, At my elementary school every month each grade was marched out and lined up to be
given awards. Best grade, attendance, behavior, and the monthly golden rule. The first three had set
requirements, get the highest score, don’t miss a day, who kept their card green the longest (a
disciplinary code system). The golden rule award changed every month and was much more open to
interpretation. Especially since it was the only award that changed each month.
I personally received my first ‘participation’ award in the third grade, the golden rule of friendship. I say
it was a ‘participation’ award since I was still grounded for defending my best friend, Christina.
One week before receiving the friendship award.
In truth the event in which I defended Christina was short. It was during lunch; Christina I was playing
some made-up game and a group of older kids came up to us. It was not unusual, the leader of the group
was my neighbor Monica. Monica and her friends came over and started to play with us. At one point
one of her friends started to tease Christina. I don’t remember what he did or said anymore but I
remember him hopping around yelling and my best friend crying.
I saw red. I went up to the first person I could reach. Monica was a big girl for her age, much bigger than
me so it was a surprise when after punching her in the gut she collapsed to the floor. I remember the
shocked faces of Monica and her friends as I told them that none of them were allowed to make fun of
Christina and the anger, I felt that I had not punched the boy who had hurt my friend. Naturally the
whole affair got back to my parents, and I was given a two-week punishment.
So, it came to both my parents and my surprise when one week later I would receive the golden rule
award of friendship. The irony I would not recognize till much later of being rewarded and punished
under the name of friendship. Of course, I recognize now that my punishment was not the defense of
friendship but how I chose to defend it. To my third-grade mind though it was one and the same.
I think back on this moment in my life when the discussion of awards and participation comes up. I do
think that the golden rule was given out to give kids of my school another way to make their parents
proud. I have mixed feelings on if I truly deserved to win that award. I know I did not meet the school
approved requirements of friendship but, I did earn my own.
The techniques I was mainly using shifts in focus, informal language, and transition
sentence/subheading. I wanted to use the broad topic of awards and narrow it down to a specific type of
award to then relate to my own story. My hope is that it gives my story context and a relatable meaning.
My main reason for the use of informal language is mainly due to my familiarity with it. I feel when
telling a personal story it is easier to use informal language and be candid in how I write. I am hoping
that the story flows in a way that feels like an anecdote at best and a monologue at worst.
I attempted two transitions. broad idea into personal story and time. The use of the idea of awards into
my story was mostly for the focus of the story but also as a loose thesis statement. The use of a
subheading/time was to transition into the actual story. I hope that by using these two transitions it
gives my story a clear structure and can be understood clearly.