This is not the kind of writing I enjoy...
And I'm freaking out a bit with how much more there is to do and all the deadlines that are creeping up.
One deadline I'll need to fulfill this weekend is to write letters of recommendation for three wonderful students whom I'd nominated for an award... the same award. They all deserve to win it. I wish we had more awards to hand out instead of making all of them compete for one. (It would make my job much easier too.)
Kareem Abdul Jabbar's generous vision is what I want. In "What I think About LeBron Breaking my NBA Scoring Record, Jabbar says: "In the months leading up to LeBron breaking my record, so much was written about how I would feel on the day he sank that record-breaking shot that I had to laugh. I’d already written several times stating exactly how I felt so there really wasn’t much to speculate about. It’s as if I won a billion dollars in a lottery and 39 years later someone won two billion dollars. How would I feel? Grateful that I won and happy that the next person also won. His winning in no way affects my winning."
Pic: View from the Bogue St. Bridge with Big A.
6 comments:
I wish all your students could have an award! It's too bad they all have to compete for it.
That Jabbar quote is wonderful. I want to remember that. Thanks Maya!
I feel this way about the magnet programs in our school district. Noah attended three different ones from 4th grade on and they were good for him, but a lot of his peers who I think would have benefitted, too, couldn't get in, and then North was waitlisted or rejected three times (elementary, middle, and high school). Outside validation is really important to them and I've often wondered if getting into a academic or artistic magnet might have given them an identity as smart kid or artistic kid that might have helped them ride out some of the challenges of their teen years better.
It IS hard when it's a zero sum and everyone can't win. Poor kids. Poor you.
Nicole, NGS--I couldn't agree more.
StephLove--If it meant that much to North, I wish they'd gotten in! But also, I think they're very accomplished. Getting their review published and being an awesome baker are some of the things they've done recently that have seemed impressive to me.
I love writing rec letters-- my favorite academic emotional labor. But I wouldn't NOT outsource it to chatGPT, you know?
Sarah, I love the letter writing too, but yes--it is all kinds of labor. Also: now I'm even more curious about chatGPT...
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