I recently visited the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory in Northern California.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide variety of colors and names

of jelly beans anywhere.

As a confection they have always been around. As kids we ate them, swapped them,

hid them in our pockets until they stuck together and mom would find them after

they were pulled out of our clothes from the washing machine. They were even used

as valid currency to ask for favors from one another.

I remember seeing one of my teachers have a jar on her desk and would occasionally

observe her asking questions and if you got it right she’d throw you a

bean. I used to put a bunch in a jar around Easter and have a contest to see

if kids could guess the correct number of beans in the jar.

Jelly beans are all unique! Except for their colors they all look the same,

but bite them and they taste vastly different. A bit like the kids in our class,

they are all similar in some respect but inside they are each very different.

Each of us are woven together like no other. We each have a different temperament,

different approach to problem solving, different point of view, unique opinions

and searching for our place and purpose in our world.

As a classroom teacher we have the wonderful opportunity to invite each child

into our world and celebrate their special uniqueness and the gifts they can

give to our class. We need to treasure their unique personalities and guide

them in finding the answers that launch them into the world of learning. Invite

children in your class to draw a self -portrait on a folded piece of white construction

paper. On the inside of the folded paper have them draw their thoughts, (positive

mental attitude) heart (acts of compassion), stomach/guts –(how they persevere

and never give up).

– Gene Bedley