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life takes courage

so this is the title of our second grade program this year.

it's pretty powerful if you think about it. we have been brainstorming ideas and concepts for the past month about courage. we have studied people like Abraham Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King. they are understanding that life DOES take courage to live. one of the first assignments we had to get their brains thinking about this concept was to finish the sentence "it takes courage to..." and then illustrate their writing.

examples...

it takes courage to...

...jump off the third step from your bunk bed
...go scuba diving
...say no to a friend
...show your work in front of the class
...speak in front of the whole school
...try something new

and these kids make me think...wow...life does take courage. i've been thinking of the horrible events (like we all have) that took place in virginia. what if i were there? what if i were the teacher in those classes? what would courage look like then? i know if ANY of my students were in danger i would not think twice about protecting them...but is it courage? would standing in front of a bullet be enough?

it seems as though to be courageous...you must first be afraid of something...but what if you do right automatically, without thinking about it?

i pray i am that person. i pray i instill this within my students. it's not about what you do that makes you courageous...it's who you are.

it may sound a little cheesy...but true nonetheless.