A student pulls me aside when the assembly ends and asks, "I got the social studies student of the year award and I got a piece of paper. Other kids pull a ball through a hoop and they get a trophy. Why does it work like that?"

There's a reason she's the Social Studies Student of the Year (Aside: I hate the whole notion of awards). It's a subtle message schools send when they create pep rallies for football games and mention the debate team on the morning announcements. Or when the paper runs an article when the local soccer team becomes state champions, but a Science Fair winner isn't considered newsworthy. It's the same message when the average child can't name a Nobel Prize winner but they can memorize the starting line-up for the Diamondbacks.

Entertainment is our national religion. (Indeed, even within religion we need funny pastors and PowerPoint lyrics led by rock bands) I find it interesting, then, that teachers will question why students weren't better behaved at our awards assembly. They didn't make it fun.