Valentine's Day is the perfect time to let students know how much you appreciate them and their unique abilities and traits. As a former secondary teacher now community college instructor, I see students try their best to avoid Valentine's Day and its celebrations. This makes me wonder what past horrific Valentine's Day experiences caused these reactions?
In elementary and secondary schools, Valentine's Day often becomes popularity contests. Some students Valentine's sacks are overflowing with goodies while other bags are half-filled. Of course, elementary students are often required to bring one card for each of their classmates to avoid this situation. However, this is not the case for middle and high school students. In secondary schools, balloons, candies, and flowers are delivered in haste before the end of classes on the special day. If you are one of those students leaving campus empty handed then Valentine's Day is suddenly disappointing and stressful!
As a teacher, what can you do to make a difference in students' lives on Valentine's Day? Be aware of students' emotions and feelings on February 14. For elementary classes, bring extra cards and goodies to hand out to those doing good deeds for the day. Secondary students are just as sensitive, so bring extra goodies for them, too. Individually wrapped candies or flowers, such as a single carnation tied with ribbon, can be placed anonymously in lockers or delivered by school aides so older students are unaware of the donor, which could cause embarrassment. One of my favorite memories is of some of my female seventh grade students being handed carnations I supplied anonymously. The best part? They never discovered I was the donor!
As an educator, you can make sure students have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
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Valentine's Day Comics: Working with Inference, Dialogue and Symbolism
