It was our 53rd Day of School

Our pancake breakfast "Friendsgiving" was wonderful. Some of the second graders' messages of appreciation and gratitude for one another were so insightful and genuine. This year when we started, a student asked if he could share first (usually I give my messages first, to set the tone and kind of get the ball rolling), but this year I am so glad he did. I could not have been as eloquent, openhearted, or innocently honest.

The students are creating gratitude journals to share with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. There are so many great children's stories for teaching, sometimes it's just hard to choose one. I came across an old favorite, The Promise Quilt, and used that as a discussion starter for what is important to each of us. It has such powerful and timely messages. It worked remarkably well, and the writing has been very heartfelt.

Today was our 53rd day of school. It is a great time of year to be a second grade teacher.