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I have to admit that my brother, Sean, pronounces it “Seen”. That pronunciation came from my family living in NYC. My mom would yell out the window for the kid she wanted and we couldn’t distinguish between Sean and Dawn (my sister). Thus came the alternate pronunciation. I have to admit I have reverted to “Shawn” even though my brother still calls himself “Seen”.</p>
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<p>Yeah, but didn’t your mother tell you it’s always the quiet ones that you have to watch out for??</p>
<p>At our school, in addition to Senior Awards we also have Junior Awards ceremonies and I attended my first one of these the other night. My son got his academic letter with honors and I watched a lot of kids ( alot of them the same) get department awards, community service awards, etc. My son was not recognized for anything like this. So, i have a question prompted by the boy who will be a reporter but not recognized by the school, or debate team winners over the summer who go unrecognized, etc. How important on college applications are these awards? My son was recognized on the news and given a $1000 scholarship for his community service, but not given any school recognition- they didn’t even know. Other schools in our area have more award opportunities than we do. So, how do colleges view these awards? Are they ever viewed as popularity contests? I’m not implying that the AP US History award, for example, didn’t go to a worthy student, but in an environment where there are often many valedictorians how do teachers get away with awarding only one department honor? If it’s not important than I don’t care, but if it is important it seems pretty unfair. There should probably be some sort of application system for these awards so that teachers are evaluating accurately and not just basing it on who they like alot.</p>
<p>What one does to earn the “tramp” award is wear revealing clothing to several previous awards ceremonies, and engage in provocative body movements while on stage. Other qualifications include EC-specific communication skills (sexting), and photographic documentaries on FaceBook of one’s involvment with the EC.</p>
<p>^ Hmmm. I hope she’s tracking her hours. On the Common App, would that go under “Employment,” “Activities,” or “Volunteer Service?” ;)</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I don’t think she will have many trackable hours, seeing her subjects are High School boys!</p>
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What award does the adult who tracks, notices and looks at these things win?</p>
<p>I think the other people here are joking. Are you serious? This is your business? If so, that’s pretty pitiful.</p>
<p>Oh, I think the CC Parent Forum Society has already given me enough undeserved recognition. Please spread the wealth! Why should all the cud-chewing herbivores who masticate carefully on every posted word go un-awarded?</p>
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<p>I think adcoms know how to read the awards section of the application form pretty accurately. I don’t think that school-based awards are seen as “popularity contests,” necessarily; however, an outside community service award with an attached scholarship is probably considered more significant. The student should be sure the community award is noted and well-described on the application. (Of course, many scholarships are awarded once the application season is over.)</p>
<p>I always think it’s a good idea for a student to let his/her GC know about a significant EC that’s well off the school’s radar. Not to be a candidate for school-wide awards, but because the GC might as well know that the student does have extensive outside interests. That way, the GC can describe the student accurately in the counselor’s college recommendation.</p>
<p>My d knew a student who was initially passed over for NHS membership (and I probably shouldn’t bring this up, since once we start talking about the fairness of that process …) because, she was told, the selection committee thought she lacked community service. Yet she was offered a generous scholarship at the college she attended, partially in recognition of her community service! Her GC was not aware of the depth of her activities outside of the high school. It can’t hurt to let the GC know what the kid’s true interests are.</p>
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Sorry, with this piquant metaphor you’re just too supremely qualified for me to even consider cheating and giving an award to anybody else.</p>
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<p>At our high school, that adult will “win” a proper classroom environment, because this is the job of teachers at our high school. Dressing like a stereotypical “tramp” (i.e., low-cut necklines, spaghetti strap tops, too-short shorts), will get the student sent home or forced to wear an XL school T-shirt.</p>
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Oh, and what other prize do they win for checking on another child’s Facebook page? What does that childish snooping and gossip have to do with the classroom environment? I honestly can’t believe there are adults who think it is okay for them to refer to a child’s classmate as a “tramp.” Nice way to teach your kids politeness.</p>
<p>If the school has a dress code (and a “movement” code apparently, whatever that is) you can politely ask the teacher to enforce it. You don’t need to refer to a young girl with a nasty epithet.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad–" I have to admit that my brother, Sean, pronounces it “Seen”."
In this case, “Seen” didn’t realize he was being called! It wasn’t until the presenter was corrected that Sean rather sheepishly walked to the podium. The presenter wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, though she should have been.</p>
<p>Regarding the tramp award, I think it bears mentioning that in our school, the girls were instructed to wear dresses. I e mailed the school and told them such instructions were out of line. The girls should “dress appropriately”, whether it’s pants or a dress. The reminder letter was changed to “dress appropriately.” Of course most girls wore dresses up to their navels with platform shoes and spiked heels. </p>
<p>The thing about the tramp award is that the boy tramps aren’t so obvious by their clothing, especially at award events. But, they’re there nevertheless.</p>
<p>S’s grade school and high school has a dress code, it was enforced hopefully without name calling and labeling. I live near the beach, most teen girls I see wear shorts and tank tops, I never registered that as trampy. What is my son’s equivalent name if he were deemed promiscuous by some other parents? Stud? Male whore? GFG you may be a wonderful person, but I think you are wrong to judge a child so harshly. Usually if someone is not respecting themselves they act out in a way that I feel is more deserving of compassion then derision. I know I probably won’t alter your view I just wanted to say my piece.</p>
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C’mon bovertine, you know she was referring to the veggie vs meat pizza thing. Not her metaphor to begin with, but surely she’s permitted to use it to advantage once it’s out there.
FWIW, I’m Facebook friends with many of geek<em>son’s high school friends, as are several other parents. I never “friend” kiddos… they “friend” me because they want the photos I post there, and I don’t mind accepting their requests. Once someone is on your friends list, unless you hide her, whatever she posts is in your face on your newsfeed.
At geek</em>son’s high school, kids who violated the dress code in this manner were taken by the principal on a clothes shopping trip… Goodwill, his treat, and the kid was to wear those outfits to school for a week. If a family truly couldn’t afford the dress code-appropriate clothes, this was a kindness. If a kid was making an I’m-so-hot fashion statement, of course, it was mortifying. I don’t think they do that anymore. I’m sure it was controversial, but it was also quite effective.</p>
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I observed this at our school too, and I blame a lot of it on Hollywood. “Dressing up” is easy for guys, because there’s a simple universal uniform: Decent shoes, non-athletic socks, slacks, long-sleeved collared shirt, tie. Jacket if the occasion calls for it. Done. They can see it modeled at just about any event. Girls don’t have such a clearcut uniform. What they see as “dressed up” is mostly red carpet events, where Skin is In. You can see it in many work environments, too; the men are all wearing the uniform, and the women are all wearing… well, they’re all wearing something different! A few years back, I gave our principal a copy of “Casual Power” and two photos from an awards ceremony: One of the guys and one of the girls. The guys, even the ones who were slouching and bored, looked presentable and even professional. The girls, even the well-known “good girls,” looked dreadful. One wore hot pants, a low-cut yet midriff-baring top, and platform shoes that make me stumble just thinking about them. One wore pedal pushers and a brightly colored (or maybe it was fleshtone, I forget) skin-tight top. One wore a skirt that she couldn’t sit down in. On and on. Most of them had few or no “trampy” qualities – they just didn’t have any notion of what was appropriate for a formal event.</p>
<p>Change of subject. I would hereby like to award TheGFG a “flamebait of the thread” award, with a complimentary asbestos suit. The way I read her posts, it seems to me that she was just venting and processing her feelings here on CC – where it’s relatively anonymous and (usually) safe – rather than dumping her frustration on her family, the school administration, and the community. That’s one of the things we do here sometimes. But instead of getting it off her chest and moving on, she’s been getting raked over the coals for days. When is enough, enough?</p>
<p>… now, where did I put that air popper? …</p>
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<p>And I take it you regularly refer to them as sexting tramps? I thought this type of thing was relegated to Jerry Springer. Sorry, if so that’s just plain creepy to me. And in this case I didn’t get the impression that the “tramp” in question was a Facebook friend, just another of the panoply of students, teachers, coaches, yearbook staff, janitors, etc. etc that ripped off awards at that school.</p>
<p>Finally, although I think both comments are a little low-brow, there is a difference between accusing someone of dressing “trampy (trampily?)” and calling someone a “tramp.” Unless you’re actually taking about a hobo.</p>
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There are plenty of things that pop-up on my computer that I don’t read because they are not relevant or important to me. A teenager’s Facebook entries (other than possibly my own) would fit into that category.</p>
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<p>For me - now.</p>
<p>I’m done posting in this thread. So any of you who feel like attacking an unarmed man, feel free. Just realize that just because I don’t respond, doesn’t mean I concede your point. In fact, it’s probably 50% likely I disagree. And it’s 100% likely I have a better argument :)</p>
<p>My D’s principal greets the students as they arrive in the school for any public event. If they are not dressed appropriately, she sends them home to change on the spot. There will be “none of that” in her school.</p>
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<p>When I can read a teenager’s Facebook entries, I email her (if I know her) or her mom and say that she might want to adjust her privacy settings so that only Friends can read her entries. Facebook keeps changing the default, but never so that it’s more private, so lots of these teens don’t know that the world is reading what they are writing.</p>
<p>I am so confused. I go out of town for a day and a half and look what happens!</p>
<p>It may feel like a pile on Geek MOM, but you can’t post about the Mean Girls in HS and then start calling other people’s daughter’s tramps without getting some pushback.</p>