When my class asked me if they could help their community, there was no other answer for me but, “Yes!” How often do you find young people wanting to go beyond themselves to not only help others, but to help children that they don’t even know?
So as my fourth graders started the journey of helping to raise money for the Phoenixville Area Children’s Learning Center, they had no idea how much work it would involve. Yet they kept going. They never lost sight of their goal of reaching the $10,000 needed for the repairs to the center’s playground.
For weeks they collected their handmade donation boxes and spent their time counting piles and piles of change with an enthusiasm that never waned. Even when a pile of change fell to the floor, they would look at me and know they had to start all over again. No matter how large or small the donations, they were excited and couldn’t wait to report a new total. As of now they have raised, $2,116.60. My class is so invested in this that they want to shoot for the $10,000. They have even asked me if they can keep this going into next year. How do you look into their eyes and tell them to stop?
About a month ago my students and I brainstormed a list of traits befitting a hero. Some of the qualities and phrases on their list were: unselfish, making a difference, thinking beyond oneself, and being a problem solver. I could link all of those qualities to my students as they have tackled this fundraising project. What is even more rewarding is that they will be heroes to the young children who will someday have a safe playground. I don’t know about you, but if you ask a 4, 5 or 6 year old if playing outside is important to them, I think you know their answer. Anyone who gives young children a link to the outdoors is a hero to them.
I wish each of you could watch this journey as it gives hope for the future. I am incredibly proud of my students and honored to be their teacher. I have done nothing more than stand on the sidelines and cheer them on, although they rarely needed it. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everyone can be great because everybody can serve.” My students have more than lived up to that statement.
One day soon about seventy children will have a new playground and for years to come countless more children will enjoy that playground, because twenty fourth graders decided to reach out to their community and make a difference.
They are my heroes and I want everyone to know that.