Teacher’s Heartwarming Post Will Make You Want to Copy This Pencil Idea

Teachers usually stock up on items they know their students will need—like pencils. But rather than just hand out a plain old #2 pencil, one teacher found a way to add a little inspiration to each child who take a pencil.

Amanda Cox, an elementary teacher in Texas, says she was running low on pencils in her classroom. So she asked all of her students to pull out any extra pencils they were willing to share. However, when one student offered up a few of his pencils—Cox noticed something very special about his pencils.

“When I was sharpening them, I noticed writing on a few of them,” Cox wrote on her Facebook post. “I then realized that my student’s mother took the time to write on his pencils. I asked him if he would mind showing me the rest of them. What I read melted my heart.”

So what were some of the messages the student’s mom wrote? Grab the tissue—for real.

- You are so talented.

- This will be a great year.

- You are creative.

- You are phenomenal.

- Never give up.

- You can do this.

- You are knowledgeable.

- You are a math whiz.

- You are intelligent.

- Proud of you everyday.

- I love you.

Of the notes on the pencils, Cox wrote “This probably took his mom a few minutes to do yet it lit up his whole day at school. He wasn’t embarrassed that his mom wrote on his pencils. Thanks to his mom, he was reminded of his self worth and wanted to share the same feeling with his classmates.”

Now Cox wants others to use this idea to share a little uplifting message with their kids. “THESE are the things that we should be reminding our kids (both parents AND teachers). Imagine the look on a child’s face when they are reminded that they are important, talented, loved, knowledgeable and so much more,” she writes.

She adds that you may think the idea is silly but what if this was the only positive message your kids see all day? “EVERY kid needs to know their value. This is why I teach.”

From little notes on pencils or in their lunchbox or even a note on their bathroom mirror in the morning, imagine how you would make your child’s day with these secret messages.