When the kids came into class, they were all excited. Ms. Gilmour looked at them and smiled.
Tanner asked, “Why are you smiling?” Nicole wondered what was going on. Rudy just looked at the other kids, while Truman the Dragon puffed out a little smoke and sat down.
Ms. Gilmour then sat down, too, and asked the rest of the kids to sit down. Once everyone was seated, she said, “I see how happy you all are, and I’m guessing that you had a great Thanksgiving vacation. Am I right?” They all started talking about what they did and where they went for Thanksgiving.
She then said, “And what vacation are you looking forward to next?” Again, everyone said at once, “Christmas break!”
Carmen added, “That’s a much longer vacation from school.”
Stephen said, “I like the parties we have in December, not just when school is closed.”
Tanner thought about that, and added, “December can be one long party month. We have school parties, my scout party, my soccer team party and family parties.”
Truman added, “I have the Dragon of the Year Party in December.” The kids weren’t sure about that one, so they asked him if that was true. He said that he was just joking about that, but when his family gets together, it’s like a Dragon Party.
Rudy asked, “What do you serve for food, people?” All the kids laughed at that one. Truman laughed and said that dragons like fruits, vegetables and some meat, just like people eat for a healthy diet.
Ms. Gilmour then asked the kids, “What are some tips you can think of for being a ‘Cool Kind Kid’ during the holidays?”
Tanner was first to answer, “Be sure to treat others just the way that you want to be treated!”
“Good one,” she replied. “What else?”
Nicole shared, “My family tries to think about others whodon’t have as much as we have.”
Carmen added, “We do that, too. We collect toys for kids who don’t have any and help at a homeless shelter.
Rudy spoke up and explained, “My family adopts another family in our neighborhood. We get gifts for the kids, make cookies for them and help with a holiday dinner.”
Stephen added, “My dad is a veteran, so we visit our local veterans hospital and take cards that we made. We also practice some songs and sing to them. They like that.”
“These are all great ‘Cool Kind Kid’ tips. What else can you think of?” asked Ms. Gilmour.
Nicole said sadly, “I like getting gifts as this time of the year, but I know that isn’t the reason we are celebrating. I try to be grateful for a gift, even if I don’t like it.”
Carmen added, “Always say ‘thank you,’ for a gift, a compliment or for someone inviting you to their party.”
Ms. Gilmour ended the class by saying, “You are all ‘Cool Kind Kids.’ Have a great holiday.”
“What do you serve for food, people?”
Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour:
Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the U.S. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up-to-date research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page. For your kids, we post Tanner’s Tuesday Tips on Tuesdays and Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and how you have successfully dealt with bullying. Go to http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid. To send photos and stories and give your permission to post, go to info@coolkindkid.com.
