Today I Feel

My favorite activity every night is to sit down and look at the journal entries that my kids wrote in after-school that day. Each entry begins with the prompt “Today, I feel...because...” I always try to make sure that there are a multitude of colors for the kids to choose from and encourage them to be honest about how they are feeling. The answers can range anywhere from “happy because it’s fun to be in bookworm” to “sad” because of a loss of a loved relative or pet. Many times, the answers express something that either greatly excited or frustrated the children that day.

The idea began when one little girl started to cry in class. Confused, her classmates crowded around her to comfort her with little success. After trying to speak with her myself, I realized her inhibitions or perhaps inability to verbally express her feelings. I asked her to sit down and write her feelings, and what came out was touching and very deeply felt. Seeing how calmed she was by this opportunity and how much better I was able to help her after this, I decided to make journal writing a common activity for all of my students. It is my hope that verbalizing their emotions will help them to better able to identify and be proactive about their feelings. I do not restrict what they write and let this be a free space to express themselves. Of course, it is also a writing activity.

What I find so hilarious about the journal entries is how each child’s personality is so clearly witnessed through their writing. Even at six years old, these children have developed such strong characters, and these personalities so affect how each child views the world. For example, I have one little girl who has written that she feels like a princess every day. Although there is a different reason every day, she finds a place where she feels special. Another of my students is a collector. He constantly scans the ground and finds little things that he can pick up and put in his pocket. He is very sensitive and writes about all of his wonderful discoveries as well as all of his disappointments. It always amazes me how each child has such a different view of the world and how no two children write or think the same. The journals are a constant reminder of how important individual attention and responses are.

Ultimately, while there is little that I can do to alter what causes the disappointments, excited moments, and sad moments in children’s lives that is reflected in many of the journals, it is my hope that this activity and my ability to respond to the children’s feelings will be a positive influence on them.

Sarah