Of all the things we did during that first week, one activity stands out. We read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (my favorite author!). In the story, little Chrysanthemum loves her name...until she starts school. All the girls in her class tease her. Poor Chrysanthemum. Everything changes for Chrysanthemum when the adored music teacher reveals that she too has a long name and is also named after a flower.
We used a great visual representation of what happens when we use unkind words. We started with Chrysanthemum's paper heart, flawless and almost perfectly perfect. Each time Chrysanthemum was teased, I wrinkled up the heart. Eyes bulged, students shared glances of unbelief, they hung on every word.
After the story, Chrysanthemum's paper heart was a wrinkly mess. We tried hard to smooth it out, but it just wasn't the same. This was a great reminder that even when we say we're sorry, we can't completely erase those unkind words from the hearts of our friends. We have the heart hanging in class to remind us that our words matter.
Do you remember a time when someone shared encouraging words with you?
(Encouraging words are words that make you feel good about yourself.)
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