The Word LOVE Has Many Meanings

The Valentine's Day holiday season is often brimming with talk of "love," and for many, that word conjures up images of romantic relationships and grand gestures. But what if we, as educators, could help our students understand that "love" is a beautiful, multifaceted concept that extends far beyond just that one idea? 

By exploring its various forms, we can empower our students to see the holidays, and indeed life itself, as a celebration of connection and warmth for everyone.

Think about it! "Love" is a tiny word with an enormous range of meaning. In addition to romantic love:

• There's familial love, the deep, unconditional bond we share with our parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family. 
• There's platonic love, the fierce loyalty and joy we feel for our friends. 
• We also experience self-love, which is perhaps one of the most crucial forms. This isn't about vanity, but about self-respect, self-care, and understanding our own worth. 
• Then there’s altruistic or compassionate love which includes the desire to help others and make the world a better place. 

By engaging our students in conversations about these different shades of "love," we can broaden their understanding and help them recognize that the holiday spirit isn't exclusive to one type of relationship. It's about connection, kindness, empathy, and joy in all its forms. 

I always enjoyed helping my high school students realize that they could celebrate Valentine's Day even if they were not romantically involved. We wrote notes and cards to express our gratitude to someone in our lives for whom we were thankful. If they wished, they could read their notes aloud to the class. I was surprised and touched by the notes they read aloud. 

 

On a personal note, Valentine’s Day is truly special for me. It's the day that forty years ago, I married the love of my life in 1986. Jerry Tess is the wonderful person who will get my thank-you note. 

Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you. I have five FREE Valentine's Day resources on TeacherPayTeachers.com. 

Please download and enjoy. 

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

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Valentine's Day Letters Are Special

One of the early February projects in my English classes was to discuss how meaningful a handwritten letter can be. Students were encouraged to choose someone who had made a difference in their lives and write a letter to them expressing their gratitude.

Writing notes and letters will give your students the opportunity to express their gratitude to parents, teachers, and friends. To help students narrow their focus, we discussed how even one kind or helpful act can often make a big difference in someone’s life. I asked for examples, and students were happy to describe them.

“My mom goes to every one of my softball games, and she gives team members rides to practice.”

“My friend, Pat, sat up with me all night when my cat was sick, and went with me to the vet the next morning.”

“My dad left work and drove all the way home to get the science project that I forgot to take to school.”

After the students had decided who their audience would be and what they would say, we reviewed the best practices for capitalization and punctuation when composing a friendly letter. I gave them a template to follow.

Next, they wrote a first draft on notebook paper. After proofreading their letters and making any necessary corrections, they chose a sheet of Valentine's Day stationery on which to write their final draft. I provided printed sheets of decorated paper. 

Click here for a free packet of stationery your students can use for their final draft.

It was their choice if they wished to deliver the letter to its intended recipient, or mail it to them.

I usually bought envelopes at the dollar store and showed them how to fold the letter into thirds and insert the letter. If they planned to mail it, I put an example of a properly addressed envelope on the whiteboard. Mailing the letter was not a requirement, and they had to provide their own stamp.

My students felt good about this assignment, and participated eagerly.

Here’s another assignment your students will enjoy.

Teach your students to rewrite sentences without changing their meaning to achieve sentence variety. At the same time, they will be reminded of things that are associated with Valentine's Day. Click here.

I hope your Valentine’s Day is special, and you spend it with people you love.  

Thanks for reading,

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New Year’s Resolutions Again?

Yes, it’s that time of year. If I think about a new year as an opportunity to write some exciting and worthwhile pages in the book of my life, then I have a healthy attitude. It is never too late to try and make the year ahead of me even better than the one that came before. (Last year was a hard one, so this one should be better.)

If I choose attainable goals and avoid resolutions like winning the lottery, I will feel a sense of accomplishment each time I cross one off my list.

Here are just a few attainable goals that you might wish to consider:

• Get more sleep whenever possible.

• To avoid frantic mornings, prepare for the next day on the night before. 

• The night before, prepare your lunch or decide where you will eat lunch.

• Set out your keys, coat, shoes, briefcase or purse and a reminder note about your lunch.

• Leave your desk at work organized and tidy. Write reminders on Post-it Notes.

• Write a list of absolutely necessary To Do’s and cross them off as you complete them.

• If you have way too many essays to grade, don’t take them all home at once. Complete them in increments depending on what you have going on in your private life at the time.

• Plan, plan, plan. Have a plan, know your plan, work your plan.

Remember that you are human and not a robot. You can only do what you can do.  
Teachers have a really challenging job. Teachers are amazing. Teachers are changing the world one child at a time. 

Here is a freebie to use with your students for Valentine's Day. 

Here's another Valentine's Day lesson you might like.

I hope both your new year and your Valentine's Day are enjoyable.

Thanks for reading. 

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Be My Valentine Treats

First, I would like to wish all of you a very happy 2019. I hope your plans, hopes, and dreams all happen just as you wish.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and not everyone has a significant other. This is especially true of young students. Making cards that imply a romantic message sometimes does not appeal; however, almost everyone has a good friend or a relative they admire.

The days before Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity for students to write a friendly letter or thank you note to someone they appreciate.

Even in the era of texts and IM’s, the lost art of a handwritten note or letter is something they will need to learn how to do.

After modeling a well written friendly letter and thank you note, I would have each student write one of his/her own. I would visit the Dollar Store to find appropriate sheets of stationery and give one to each student on which he/she would write a final draft.

The emphasis, of course, was on friendship and/or admiration and not romantic love. My students loved the idea, and the project was very successful.

If you want to skip the trip to the store, you can download a sheet of Valentine’s Day stationery here and print it.

Some students have a problem with writing run-on sentences. It is hard to avoid them, when they don't really understand what they are. 

This is a free resource I created to help students practice avoiding run-ons in their writing. All the sentences in the exercise are associated with Valentine's Day. Get yours here.

Thanks for reading,

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