Today's Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

Gifts of Love on Valentine's Day

By Jodi O'Meara

Like so many teachers, I try hard to make each of my students feel they are

special. I am not a mother, so I look at my students as my children. In a short

year, I have the opportunity to touch their lives. I may go to a baseball game,

a dance recital or baseball card sale. I want to teach each child that he or she

is special because of who he or she is. During one year of teaching a

fifth-grade class, I was shown how important my actions and lessons were.

It was toward the end of January when I started seeing notes passed around. This

was unusual because the students had many opportunities to speak with each other

while doing class activities and because the notes were between students who

weren't friends. There was not a certain individual initiator of the notes nor

was there just one receiver. They were simply circulating on a regular basis.

These notes were passed for a few days before I asked several students caught

with them why they were being passed. I then lectured the whole class on their

disrespect to me as I was trying to teach while they passed papers. I didn't

read the notes but placed them in the trash can.

After a week or two, I thought I had put an end to the note passing because the

activity subsided. As January changed to February, thoughts turned towards

Valentine's Day, but there was very little of the usual talk that goes on with

this holiday. The art teacher taught them to make big envelopes to hold their

valentines and those were taped to the desks. I passed out a class list of names

so students could address their valentines. Finally, on the day before the

holiday, the students asked if they would be having a party. I asked them if

they thought the last hour of the day would be a fair arrangement, and they

agreed. Later they pushed for a ninety-minute time period, and I gave them the

old line, " We'll see how the rest of the day goes first. "

On Valentine's Day, we went through the morning's lessons with no problem. I was

surprised at how calm they were, considering what a holiday like Valentine's Day

could do to ten-year-olds. Before the students went to lunch, I told them we

would celebrate when we came back. They finally showed some excitement.

When I went back to the cafeteria to pick my students up from lunch, they were

not there. I could not understand this, but the assistant principal said the

music teacher had taken them. I walked around the building to the music

department and circled back toward the cafeteria. In the doorway was the music

teacher, who was waiting to greet me. The cafeteria had been cleared with the

exception of one chair in the middle of the room. My students all stood before

me on the stage as the music teacher walked me to the lone chair in the center

of the room.

Candi, my shy little one, spoke into the microphone. " We wanted to do something

very special for you because you do so many special things for us. We had many

ideas but decided you would like this one the very most. We have put together a

talent show for you as our present. We hope you enjoy it. "

Each student performed for me that day. There was dancing, singing, a

Rollerblade routine set to music, a piano piece, a poetry reading - every child

did something in that show. I watched in disbelief. They had choreographed an

entire variety show on their own. There was a master of ceremonies, props,

scenery and equipment. All the notes that had been passed weeks before were

plans for after-school meetings to prepare and organize the show. They had asked

for the help of the music teacher to help them get permission to use the stage

and operate the sound system.

After an hour-long performance to an audience of one beaming, teary-eyed

teacher, the show ended with all the students lined up on the stage. Together

they said, " We knew the best gift we could give you would be a part of us. Happy

Valentine's Day. "

I have never felt so much love on Valentine's Day - for the students and for

being a teacher.