Kent Primary Students Learn the Power of Words

Fourth-grade students in Andrea Shaver’s class at Kent Primary have been busy learning about our district’s 6C characteristic of Citizenship, as well as personal accountability.

Using a tube of toothpaste as a learning aid, students each took a turn squeezing the tube’s contents out on paper hearts at their desks. They very quickly learned that once the toothpaste was squeezed out, it was impossible to get it back into the tube – much like words once they are said aloud.

The students learned that their words have power and can have a positive or negative impact on others. It was an especially important life lesson to learn: thinking carefully before you speak.

“As we begin a new school year, building a classroom family on inclusiveness, where everyone feels safe and supported, is at the top of my priority list,” said Shaver. “This activity was an engaging and fun, yet powerful way to help students learn the lasting impacts of our actions and words in a concrete manner.”