Jack-a-ninny of the Month

Pécan sent out an e-mail this week expressing his concern on the fact that very few teachers were submitting nominees for Student of the Month since the program had been implemented at the beginning of the year. He recognized that we were busy but encouraged us to fill out a form every month for a candidate who best represented the moniker.

Now this is usually the part where I provide a laundry list of students who would support my point that there are slim pickings. I’d review the boy who sticks his finger in other student’s faces and says, “Lick it, lick it,” in a slow creepy manner. Perhaps I would provide as evidence the girl who comes into my room declaring, “That bitch is going down,” or, “That bitch is gonna get it,” or other references to the demise of “that bitch” on a nearly daily basis. There are many who I could bring to your attention.

Then this may be the part where many of you reading this might think, “Come on; they aren’t all bad.”

Well, the fact is that I have nominated in the past—two students. Pécan rejected the first one because he had been nominated too many times previously. My nomination on the second one was denied due to the fact that another teacher had already provided her name. On both occasions, Pécan told me to pick again.

So let me get this straight. I shouldn’t nominate the best, but the best by default? If they are the best, then they should be the best, whether it happens repeatedly or multiple teachers agree. That’s life. Part of the reason Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France races is because they let him race after his first victory. If they didn’t, then who knows who would have won. It could have been the guy who asks everyone to lick his yellow jersey.