What an election year it has been and what an election it came out to be. While us teachers try to resume normalcy in the classroom and continue to do what we know and love, which is to teach our students to the best of our ability, it is hard to ignore the harsh words and feelings that came out of this election year. The older our students are, the harder it may seem for us to explain what has transpired.
We are all teachers because of the love that we have for our students. Let’s continue to teach love in our classrooms and let that still be the fabric of our classroom community. Regardless of all the changes around us, the basic principle of love for one another should not be changed and will not be changed. As we step into the holidays and the new year, there are even more opportunities for our students to continue to practice showing love in the classroom and in the community- collect canned goods for food banks, make greeting cards for nursing homes, send care packages to soldiers abroad, adopt an angel as class, and the list goes on.
Let us also continue to celebrate our students’ uniqueness by encouraging them to accept one another as they are. As a primary school teacher, I have had the privilege to witness my young students accept and celebrate each other’s uniqueness everyday. The kids get it, and they love that their friends can be similar, yet different. Let’s continue to celebrate that acceptance going into the holiday season by learning and celebrating our students’ holiday traditions as well as people all around the world. We can also connect with classrooms from across the country or the world to become pen pals or simply read a book on friendship together.