My first year of teaching I was drowning. I had no idea what I was doing, I couldn’t keep up with the workload and I was afraid I wasn’t doing my best for my students. My admin wasn’t very helpful in getting me the resources I needed for success. I had to rely on myself. So when Thanksgiving rolled around (the height of my overwhelm) I took some time to write each of my students an index card about why I was thankful for them. Over the years this has moved to Valentine’s Day. And since I’m a science teacher, I now write chemistry themed science Valentine’s Day cards for each of my students.
Writing Valentine’s Day Cards for Each Student
I write each student a heartfelt card. Yes, you read that right. Each and every kid gets a message. At first, it was something I did for me. I needed to be reminded of the greatness that was sitting in front of me each day. My students were the real reason I went to work each day. It wasn’t the chemistry, or the lesson plans. It was their sweet little cherub faces and brains that craved education. (Especially on the tough days when they weren’t acting like angels, I needed to be reminded.)
The first year was index cards on Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Then it moved to just Valentine’s Day with science themed cards that I had found online. All these years, I was doing it to remind myself that I did really like these kids, and I put up with all the mayhem because I love them.
Impact of Writing Valentines for Students
It took a few years, but I found that my efforts actually meant something. A student who had graduated that I kept in touch with sent me a picture of the index card that I had written for him years back. It was crinkled around the edges. It had a hole poked in it from where it had been posted on a cork board. He kept the index card for years. This card was posted on the wall for him to look back on. He could see how I shared my love for him as my student for years.
The good that I had put out into the world, and the lives of my students came back. This shows me that my students like me and care about what I think. They appreciate the little things. Nothing makes you feel more important than somebody keeping a crinkly old index card with a “love note” written on it. This alone proves that the hours spent writing these valentine’s day cards over weeks was worth it.
Science Valentine’s Day Cards
It’s been a few years of this now. And I’m still writing these cards for my students. But they’ve gotten a lot prettier! And now I want to share them with you so you can spread the love! I’ve created science Valentine’s Day cards for you to print out and write in. Print these cards so that they open up, just like a Hallmark card, or print them single sided and leave them blank inside. I prefer to print them on colored paper (usually pink).
Get started sooner rather than later! It takes a lot of time to write heartfelt Valentine’s for your students. I start about three weeks out so I only need to write a few a day. These science Valentine’s Day cards are great because they have little science puns that your students will get a kick out of. Grab a copy of the printable science Valentine’s Day cards here!
