All You Need Is Love

It sounds cheesy but we spend a lot of time on this emotion in the classroom. Children at this age use this word very freely in their lives: “I love blue!” “I love pancakes!” and of course “I love you!”. Even at school, the children are very quick to say I love you to their friends and teachers. When I began teaching this age, it seemed a bit awkward to me. After teaching middle schoolers who wouldn’t be caught dead saying it to their friends or teachers at school, I wasn’t really sure how to respond to “I love you Ms. Neha. You are my best friend.”. But over the years, I’ve realized that children at this age really mean it. In the classrooms, we try to capitalize on this knowledge and have them say it often and aloud, through explicit activities and works that build on their love for the people around them, and themselves. These activities go beyond just saying the words. We make the children think about what love sounds like, what it looks like and what it feels like.

Some cohorts conduct appreciations at circle, ways for each child to think about specific instances where they have appreciated having a particular friend in the class. During appreciations, children are also given the opportunity to ask for an appreciation. We all have had days where we need a bit more affection from those around us. This activity gives children a place to vocalize it. The children are forced to go beyond thinking, “I love X.” They are asked to think about why they love their friend as they are asked to name actions or words that were said. Teachers also notice social interactions through these appreciations: Who needs more love and often? What friendships are blossoming? How is that affecting other friends in the class?

At other times, teachers may see the need to talk about friends in the classroom, and what it means to be a friend. Once again, the children are asked to delve into this word. “A friend is someone you are nice to.” Is followed up with the question, “Well, what does that mean? What are some things you can say or do to be nice to one another?” All conversations go back to physical words and actions that show this love between people.

In addition to these discussions, the teachers also encourage spontaneous acts of love. An interaction may result in one friend wanting to show love to another friend. Or some older children may notice that a friend needs some extra love in the classroom. Since all children love to make cards, we have a card making work, along with some prompts for writing in the classroom. If someone is thinking about a parent or a sibling, the card making work is a good way to show them how he or she feels. One of the cohorts also has a kindness jar – a place to put a heart in every time an act of kindness is noticed in the classroom.

This love that we strive to build in the classroom results in a community that is strong and helps one another through thick and thin. Perhaps the strongest examples of this love were seen in the past few weeks:

• A younger child had bumped into something and was crying. Before the teacher could come help, an older child had gotten there and was cradling the head of the upset child. The teacher did not have to step in before both children were smiling and back to work.
• An upset child was having a tricky time settling into the classroom. A peer was overheard saying “Don’t worry, Ms. X. I got it.”

When we think about all the things that we do (are doing) to help with the holistic development of these children, it is important to take a step back and remember that in the beginning, all we really need is love.