Community Pride

Hello Berkeley County! It is a beautiful Fall day and we are blessed with the glorious views of the mountains. As I look out my window, I am in awe of the brilliance of the colorful leaves. I see the red, green, brown, and yellow leaves all carelessly scattered around the Earth. Even in such disarray, the scenery is breathtaking.
Then I think of my classroom. I see the diversity of my students. Every day they scatter about our classroom. Like those Fall leaves, they represent a wide variety of colors. They are from many backgrounds with many different abilities, talents, and beliefs. As I look at my students, I am still in awe. They are beautiful. We celebrate and share our differences. We share our unique talents. Working together, we too are breathtaking.
As teachers, we have the responsibility to allow opportunities for our students to share their unique gifts. We also must promote an atmosphere of community pride. I believe through community service projects we can teach children to care for one another while developing a sense of self worth. A wise man once said: "Every society is judged by how it treats its less fortunate amongst them."
What can we do? We need to network ideas and become inspired by the many caring volunteers in our community. One thing my fifth grade students like to do is to create quilts and deliver them to veterans in the hospital. The veterans are thankful for the thoughtfulness and my students are proud to show that they care. Let's not just honor our veterans on Veteran's Day, but every day. Each day, we must strive to do something kind for someone else.
The other day I attended a Martinsburg football game. The students and fans were having a Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness. There were many opportunities to donate, with all proceeds goings to Relay For Life. It was an inspiration to look out into the stands, and even on the field, to see all of the pink. I think we all learned a great lesson that day. It feels good to provide support. Our students really do care and they really want to help. Let's continue to celebrate our community pride and show our love for one another. Together, we are beautiful.