My Student of the Month

I was prepared to be proud of my son anyway. As Dylan's Cub Scout den leader, I knew he would receive his Bear badge tonight. He had worked hard to earn it, although that feat is easier to accomplish when your mom is the den leader.

I picked him up at school, and as we were getting into the car, he said he had forgotten something. That "something" was a yard sign that read, "Hynes School Student of the Month." He had received the honor that day.

I had seen such signs on front lawns around the neighborhood, and I wasn't sure Dylan would ever get one. I didn't even know what went into becoming Student of the Month. I learned it is given to a child who reflects the school's core values -- kindness, cooperation, and helpfulness. While Dylan might argue me to death on many issues, he does love to be helpful.

I wondered whether Dylan was "due" to get it. Since he is in a small class, I thought they must have run through the rest of the students first. But no! According to Dylan, another student -- an all-As kind of kid -- had never received the prize.

A coworker often tells me that she’d rather have a kind, cooperative kid than a smart aleck who gets straight As without trying. I am the mom of that kind of cooperative kid. From now on, just call him Student of the Month.

This article appears in the Winter 2011 issue of ADDitude.
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