A small gesture can make a big difference

My students have definitely had a rough first half of the year between my poor planning and the amount of subs we’ve had due to my morning sickness, but this week I’ve come down with a bad cold (hopefully not covid, it’s all negative but everything makes me feel awful). I created little goodie bags today for my classes that include:<br><br>* Goldfish crackers<br>* Skittles<br>* Fruit snacks<br>* Fruit loop necklace kits (these are going to be fun)<br>* A mini stress ball<br>* 2 stickers with a note that says “you’re amazing”<br><br>It was very clearly a small gesture, but the smiles I got and the sheer joy the kids felt when they got them was amazing. My school has a lot of need, we are very high poverty and a lot of kids don’t have stable home lives or food at home. I know they’re going to appreciate the little snack more than just the fun stuff, but it’s nice to see them so genuinely happy. <br><br>I think it’s easy to get caught up in our own struggles and the feeling of burn out that comes with this job, but today was a good reminder that they’re kids. Most of them didn’t make the decisions for why their lives are the way they are, and they deserve a happy childhood.<br><br>So if you have an extra dollar or five to throw at some small fun things, it can really make a big difference in their day.