Late February, my middle school advisory students participated in an exercise called Spread the Love Project. Each student in class took a turn being in the "hot seat" facing away from the whiteboard, while their classmates wrote positive statements about them. When they were finished, the hot seat student got to turn around and read what had been written about them. 

While many said they would have guessed a couple of the compliments that were written about them, there were also looks of surprise, astonishment, and mostly gratitude on the children's faces. When asked what they thought about what was written about them, the overwhelming response was "I had no idea people saw that in me." 

What started out as a feel-good exercise in advisory, now holds a special place in my heart as a teacher, who may not see these students for the rest of the school year. The echos of the laughter and pure happiness on my students' faces will be a lasting memory for me. I am so grateful for my students for participating in this activity and Spreading the Love to their fellow students.

Thank you to Jamie Kiner, 6th grade Language and Literature teacher for contributing to this article and for facilitating the wonderful Spread the Love activity.