Incredible Kids

Today at my school we celebrate Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. 

About 6 or so years ago, I was teaching 6th grade.  About this time of year, you find the kids are just flat tired...and so are you.  State assessments are breathing down your neck.  You are trying every trick in the book to get them to turn in work and stay interested in school until the end of May. And both you and the students get frustrated a little more easily when you don't see eye to eye. 

My colleagues and I had the luxury at the time of meeting each day to discuss strategies, etc. and we were looking for a morale booster.  I happened to find it one day on the Internet.  CampFire USA celebrates kids one day each spring with a letter writing campaign.  The idea is to tell kids why they are incredible. 

How cool is that?

So, we got to work.  We wrote our own letter asking parents to help us surprise their kids on this day with a letter from them.  It was daunting.  Not all of our parents speak English.  Not all of my colleagues thought we could get it accomplished. 

But we set the goal.  We called. We emailed.  Eventually, we decided we better start writing our own letters for some of the kids, just in case.  But in the end, it wouldn't really matter.  Every sixth grader was going to get a letter from someone who cared about them at the same time on the same day.

The next year, the project grew school-wide.  Talk about daunting.  We went from needing 200 letters to 700.  But we set the goal, sent the letters home and started calling.  Eventually we started writing our own letters when necessary. 

On the morning we designated to deliver the letters to the kids, we still had letters pouring in from parents writing at the last minute. Hey, a last minute letter is as meaningful as one written weeks before. 

I don't know who ultimately loves this project more.  The teachers who get to organize the surprise, the parents who get the chance to take a minute and say "I love you" or the kids who are reminded that they are loved. 

It is a lot of work and it takes a lot of coordination.  It has taken much trial and error to get it running smoothly.  We have it down almost to a science now, and if a child spends 6th through 8th grade with us, they will get three Absolutely Incredible Kid Days.

Nationally, it is the 15th Annual Absolutely Incredible Kid Day with CampFire USA on March 17th.  We celebrate a little early each year due to our Spring Break.

I'd like to thank my fellow teachers and my principals for believing in the project and thinking it worthy each year to keep going with it.  My dear friend, Elizabeth spearheads it now each year.  The office staff including my own sweet mother intercept the letters with smiles each year, patiently explain to new parents our crazy scheme. 

So, if you know any incredible kids, it's not too late.  Tell them today just what they mean to you!