The Life Changing Greeting Card

Do you ever shop at Trader Joe's? Have you ever taken the time to glance through the greeting card section?  Not only are the cards fabulous, but they are all 99 cents. About two years ago, there was a greeting card with a picture of a pickup truck with a surf board sticking out of the bed of the truck. The caption read, When is the last time you did something for the first time? I bought every single one of those cards. Every person I sent it to always took the time to either text, call, or email about how much they loved that card.  It made me realize that not only did it have a life altering impact on me, but on everyone who encountered it.

When I think about the start of the school year, I think about this card.  It will be the first time I have a first day in the Canton Public Schools. For thousands of Canton middle school and high school students, it will be the first time they meet their teachers, the first time they became an upperclassman, a high school student, or a seventh grade student. Some will drive for the first time this year, apply to college for the first time, join a sports team for the first time, and play an instrument for the first time.  Our students are constantly doing things for the first time every day of their lives. With that in mind, it is important we support them and take the time to acknowledge them for their bravery. If we recognize and praise them for these accomplishments, it will not only boost their self-esteem, it will remind them of how truly resilient and flexible they are.