Ever since the coronavirus pandemic started, we’ve been encouraging students to share their voices in an essential way and send letters of gratitude to people who could use support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the values of essential workers as their model, students have shared gratitude with people who can use it the most. These friends, family, and community members are going to work every day to care for others, often at great expense to themselves and their own families.
Many people describe healthcare workers, grocery clerks, cleaning professionals, and other essential workers as at the “front lines” of the coronavirus “battle.” While this language does capture the danger and courage that encompass many essential workers’ lives right now, it does not address the nurturing and caring nature of their work. Their work, right now and always, is rooted in service to the community. Young people across the country have taken this opportunity to thank them, not just because they are essential workers, but because they are brave, caring, and essential people.
To bring their heartfelt letters to life, our friends at Barkley flexed their creative muscles, turning our students’ work into beautiful posters that can be downloaded and displayed on windows, doors, porches, etc. We hope our students’ words of kindness will help brighten up our essential workers’ days.
This lesson, created by 826 MSP, is available on 826 Digital, along with other free resources to help students get excited about writing—whether they’re sharing words of encouragement or penning their thoughts on the issues that matter to them to inspire action in their readers.
Submissions are still open, and all students are welcome to participate and share their words of wisdom with us.
You can download all posters below, free of charge, and help spread kindness and positivity as we keep battling this pandemic.
