Wow! It was an awesome week in the classroom. We celebrated the 100th Day of school and it is always one of my favorite days. I love being able to share this day every year with every class! This year we did a lot of the same activities that I hear others talking about. We did the Hershey Kiss Number Scavenger Hunt, we sorted Fruit Loops into groups of tens and made necklaces, wrote about what we would do with a 100 dollars. We found numbers in a Hidden Picture, counted to see how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop. Zero the Hero and his sidekick Squiggy came to visit us and passed out pencils. Zero counts with the boys and girls and has they jump for every 10. We did activities like those all day and the Grand Finale was a parade through the Elementary School. We did at the end of the day as the classes were headed to an assembly giving them an escort so we wouldn't disturb the learning going on any more than we absolutely had too. My students took little card stock squares (in bright colors) and wrote their numbers to 100 and then taped them to their clothing. The parade brings relevance and purpose to writing the numbers. They had funny hats and were all dressed up in their numbers. They had a great time getting covered in numbers and getting ready for the parade. We sang a song about the 100th Day and paraded through the halls. I have wonderful administrators who let us do this and understand the importance. My kids love it! I get comments like "Best Day Ever!" "I can't wait to tell my mom what I did today!" and "They loved me!" "Can we do this again tomorrow?" They really shine and that is so important. A few years ago I was at Wal-Mart a few days before school was to start. There was this boy there that was about 14 years old. He was very thin and looked like he needed some work done on his teeth from the dentist, and he really looked malnourished. He had selected two $8 shirts that he wanted for school. He was begging his parents to get them for him and there was such longing and need in his eyes. I was changed that day by that little boy. The Lord used a simple trip to Wal-Mart to change me completely. I stood around and watched because one way or another that boy was going to have those shirts. His eyes spoke of such need for acceptance and all his hopes for the school year. The $8 shirts were only $8 shirts, but for him it was so much more, it was about hope for the school year and a need to belong. That boy changed me that day. To this day I cry when I think of that boy. I am happy to say, he was able to purchase the two shirts. I still pray for him and hope he is doing well. But that boy made me realize just how much every child needs to feel like they belong and how important it is that every child feel accepted and get those moments to shine. Then of course, they come to us at the beginning of the school year for Kindergarten thinking I am going to be the faster, and the smartest, and everyone is going to totally approve of everything I say and do, and then reality sets in and soon they realize not everyone can be the fastest or the smartest. But you know what, you can be YOU and YOU are awesome just as you are. For me, that is what the 100th Day Parade is all about. That moment when we walk into someone's classroom and they clap and encourage them. They love it!! It is also important that they feel that acceptance every day!!!
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