Special student

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Special student
By Debbie

Hi Julie,
While this isn't quite a reply your original post on making a student feel special by various jobs, I thought I'd share it since several others mentioned a student of the week. I send a note before school starts
asking the children to bring in a special 'ME Bag'. Each child decorates the bag in some way that shares something about him/her, ie. if the child is an avid soccer player, there might be stickers, drawings, cut outs, etc. of the sport. Inside I ask them to put in a family photo, other special photos-many brought in baby pictures and others from important life events, a favorite book

for me to read aloud and tell why it was chosen, souvenirs or other telling artifacts to illustrate their lives and other interests. This year when I send out the letter, I'm going to revise it and add that they bring some artifact or family story that shares some type of celebration, a ritual, holiday or other family tradition. A friend of mine did this part before winter break, and the things that the kids did with their families was fantastic. It was great to learn about them and the ways they stay connected. As a Kinder or first grade teacher, the read aloud of Kevin Henkes' Owen would be great for beginning Me Bags. We share as many as we have time for each day, and usually complete the sharing by the middle of the third week of school. It's a great community builder. Hope this gives you some other possibilities...Debbie ;-D