Princess PooterPants Wins an Award

When you go to Hogwarts of the Arabic Gulf, you have weekly assemblies.  There are no owls with notes tied around their legs and no magical ceilings that look like the night sky.  But there are bunches of precious disheveled kids from all over the world wearing uniforms and sitting politely while someone with a fantastically Brrrrritish(!) accent makes announcements and leads a group lesson.

School assemblies are held on different days of the week, and Hannah's first assembly was last Thursday.  The teacher sent us home a note, "Hannah will be getting an award at our first assembly tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM.  You're welcome to attend if you can."  Well, I thought maybe it was like in the US where everyone gets a trophy for living through the first two weeks of school.  But John and I were free, so we decided to go.  We didn't tell Hannah because we had no idea what to expect.  Instead, we just sent her on to school, and like the good gas-guzzling Middle Eastern expats we are, drove two separate SUV's to go see the assembly.

The campus principal is a smart and enthusiastic British lady.  She led the assembly by teaching a lesson about "what makes a school" (hint...hint...it isn't the building).  She had students name behaviors, activities, and characteristics starting with the letters G, N, I, N, R, A, E, and L.  Each letter had a big sty-ro-fome (can't spell it, so I'm going for East Texus fo-netics instead) letter on it, and as she stacked it up, the kids figured out it made a TOWER OF LEARNING.

Then the lovely British principal asked, "What happens if I take out one of these ingredients?  What happens if I take out the R?"  The answer, of course, was that the "learning would topple," but it was all I could do not to jump up and scream out, "YEWD HAVE LEANIN' INSTEAD UH LEARNIN'!"  Cause you know when I yell, my accent goes on hyperdrive.

Then  they handed out the awards.  Turns out only one child from each class got a recognition.  (I'm pretty sure it will be one child, per class, per week.)  Hannah's class was last to be announced.  The principal calls out...and I'm going to try clumsily to capture the accent in Texus fo-netics, "And now, from Misses Hodge's closs, an awad foh gud be-have-yuh goes tew Honnuh Smoll!"  At which point, everyone started looking for Honnuh Smoll, but Hannah Small was sitting there wondering who the hell Honnuh Smoll might be.  I think she called out Honnuh's name 7 times.  Finally, the sweet child next to Hannah informed her that she and Honnuh were, indeed, one in the same.

 

That's her...the tiny one on the far right.

Of course, Honnuh/Hannah didn't know John and I were in the audience (only about 8 parents were there).  She was rather mortified at all the attention, and slowly made her way to the front, strings of self-cut hair hanging in her face and staring down at the floor.

They gave her a sweet certificate and had her line up at the front with the others as additional comments were made.  She stood there looking shell-shocked at the floor until we, waving frantically like the Soccer Mom and Dad of the Year that we are, got her attention.  Oh how I wish I had had my camera out...because the moment she saw us, she snapped out of shy mode, waved, smiled brightly, and pulled one of her "America's Next Top Model" poses showing off her goods.  It was priceless.

Yea for Honnuh Smoll and her behavior!  We're off to a jolly good start.

The certificate reads: Weekly Award Certificate. Name: Hannah Small.  For being thoughtful and caring towards her friends and making them feel happy.