School is a place for learning various subjects that will help guide us later in life. But, as we are increasingly learning, it is so, so much more.
It is during this time that children develop their sense of self and start building an idea of who they are and have the potential to be. School doesn’t come without challenges and it is easy for children to feel vulnerable as they interact and cope with their peers and the grown-ups.
That’s why shaping children to be confident during these years is perhaps the most important ‘lesson’ we can give them.
As it turns out, there’s one very special cafeteria worker who couldn’t agree more.
Stacey Truman has been working in the cafeteria at Kingston Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for almost a decade. She is a mother herself and, over the last 9 years, she has watched as the youngest students in the school grew and changed through the years.
While Stacey’s job is to serve the children delicious meals daily, she always takes it upon herself to go further. She knows many of the children by their first name, always carries a smile on her face and is one of the school’s most dedicated employees.
But most notably perhaps, are Stacey’s ‘talking bananas’.
During lunch time, Stacey writes special notes on bananas — a few words to cheer the children up and boost their confidence — in other words, make them feel special.
Each banana features a unique notes of inspiration, jotted down in a Sharpie marker — messages like “Be your best self” and “You’re a superhero.” Then the children receive one at random on their tray — making this, naturally, a very exciting moment of the day for the kids.
School principal Sharon Shewbridge recently snapped a photo of Stacey’s ‘talking bananas’ and posted it to Twitter, where it began to spread like wildfire. And understandably so! These bananas, and of course, the wonderful soul behind them, deserve all the recognition in the world!
Watch the video below to learn more.
What a simply wonderful initiative! Children need to be reminded of such things more often than we think — and to find such a sweet and exciting way to do it is just genius! Share if you agree Stacey has her heart in the right place.
