This is the month that people rush to buy flowers and chocolates in order to celebrate the love they have found with that “special someone.” However, for those of us working in an elementary school, we may look at this holiday a little differently than the rest.

For us, we take this time to celebrate friendship and positive relationships of all types. We may do this by allowing the children to send special treats to friends or teachers with kind notes attached, or encouraging the students to bring small Valentine greetings to share with their class. This is done to facilitate an appreciation among the students for those people that help make school a nice place for them to spend their days. Yet, school personnel do not wait until February to show love to students. Schools try to do this all year long.

During the nine to 10 months that schools are in session, many different programs are put into place in order to celebrate students and bolster their self-esteem. Awards assemblies are held to recognize students with good grades, students who attend school regularly, and students who are responsible and trustworthy when it comes to their education. Programs are also put into place that celebrate students who are good citizens, respectful, kind, and simply make the school an enjoyable place for others. Schools also make sure that children support other children by holding food drives for needy families, collecting coats and winter gear during the colder months to donate to other children, and supporting letter-writing campaigns to soldiers (who are also students’ parents) who are away from home serving their country.

All of these things give students a sense of pride and accomplishment. This leads the way to further academic and personal success in their lives, and it helps them spread and receive lots of love!