Merci Beaucoup!

Black History Month started out great for the kids at my school! On February 7th, we received our first batch of "Thank You!" letters from the students at the Bingerville School for Boys!

Each of the students wrote a brief letter addressed to the student or teacher who sent them their gift. I posted some of them on my office door so that students could see them.

My friend and colleague Karen, the French teacher, and I had a blast handing them out to the students.





It was such a rush and I had so much gratitude for Karen at that moment. It was her encouragement and her marshalling of her French club and class students into action, that really made it possible to match each of the Bingerville boys with a Secret Santa -- it was all part of a class project to learn about Francophone Africa.

Almost every student received a

hand written note of thanks, as did the many friends and family who participated.

Many of the letters were covered in decorative drawings that the boys had made. Karen's students are now busy translating each of the letters, as part of their classwork, and when they are completed they will be delivered to their owners along with an English translation.

The kids said it was "cool!" and that it made them "feel smart" that they were able to figure out what the letters said. Needless to say, Karen and I are already thinking about next year!