In 2002 I instituted a new award in our classroom, based upon a Charlie-Chucky story that I tell to the kids.  I’m not going to tell you the story here (ask your child to recount it for you), but the gist of the story is that Charlie is a child who puts in his best effort every day and succeeds in fulfilling all his lifelong dreams, while Chucky does not put in his best effort always, and unfortunately doesn’t realize very many of his dreams.  Therefore, you may hear me ask the kids on occasion, “Are you being a Charlie or a Chucky today?”  I tell the kids that they know in their hearts if they are a Charlie or a Chucky, and so I never directly tell them, but they know, and you probably do as well.  The concept has truly come to mean a lot to many of my students in previous years and served as a remarkable motivator, so this award naturally spawned from the idea. 

On Monday each week, I designate one assignment from the upcoming week to be judged for the Charlie Award.  It could be anything from an in-class assignment to a homework assignment.  The kids are never told which assignment it will be.  On Friday, after I’ve collected and graded the assignments, I decide which child demonstrated the greatest effort and then reveal which assignment it was and announce the winner.  Winners of the Charlie Award receive a certificate indicating their achievement, an Academic Freedom Pass, and (more importantly) their name will go on a list that is posted in my classroom and will remain posted in my classroom until the day I retire or die (whichever comes first).  I told the kids that they can bring their own children kids back to my room 20 years from now to show them their name, still up on the list from when they were in third grade.

This has become by far the most coveted award in my classroom (the kids just love the story), which makes me happy since the level of effort from many of the kids has gone up since its conception.