Winning is nice but . . . . 

it's not the ONLY thing.  

Every year, my video program competes in multiple video competitions around Michigan.  The last few years we have found our videos competing very successfully against other area programs.  It has been a great external motivator for my students and that is why I do it.  But we don't always win!

In a way, I like it when we don't win.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a competitive person and I LOVE winning, but as a teacher, I see more growth from my students when they don't succeed.  It forces the students to step back, re-evaluate, and figure out how to improve.

Sometimes though, a student or video just deserves to be recognized.  I am very proud of the successful season we have had this year.  I don't always have DATA and numbers to back up my student's growth, but I do have a nice collections of trophies, plaques and certificates that say we're doing something right!

And I'll take that any day.