When I was in elementary school, a teacher gave each of us an envelope with our name on it towards the last week of school.

We passed those envelopes around and every student wrote a nice end of year message to each other, what we learned from them, what we appreciated, things like that.

Then each envelope was given to another student to create a project poster.

I still remember who got me. (Hi, Esti!) And I still remember what she made. A computer and keyboard (the keyboard spelled MUSHKIE) with letters from my classmates glued on the screen and a ribbon hanging down with more letters attached.

I treasured it for so many years.

Now, 25 years later, I can say that for the last 15 years I've done this same activity with my students, because the most important thing for my to students know is how much they matter. ♡

Some years I've done it exactly like my teacher did. Some years I've asked students to write 1-2 words per student and turned it into word art - sometimes I made a framed collage, other years students decorated their own or a classmate's on a plaque.
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When I taught 5th grade online, I wasn't sure if I should do this activity because I knew it would require more coordination. I decided to go with it. I had each student email me their notes for the other students, sorted them, and sent them to each student's parents to print. It was a surprise. On the last day of school, students had a canvas, scrapbook supplies, but they didn't know why. Then they were surprised with the beautiful envelopes of letters from their classmates, which they then stuck on the canvas and decorated.

Fast forward 7 years. I was checking in with one of those students (I send a Rosh Hashanah email every year) and here's what one wrote back:

Seven years later. She still has it! Not only that, but she had it hung up on her bedroom wall! (She sent me a picture!)
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And it's not just her, teachers in the teacher's room and on whatsapp groups say the same about how much such projects mean to them and how they still have these classroom keepsakes.

I created a really cute ice cream activity that works great where each kid ends up with a cone with scoops of messages from every student (and from and for you, of course!).
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​ice cream end of year evergrowing educator.pdf​

Whether you teach lower elementary or high school, whether you're a homeroom teacher or a "twice a week" teacher, I hope you'll try something like this!
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Let me know if you do!

Mushkie

Mushkie
@evergrowingeducator
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