Valentine's Day at the Nursing Home

Every year, my third-grade class makes Valentine's cards for the residents at the nursing home down the street. This year, for the first time, we got to deliver them in person.

The kids were nervous at first. Then a woman named Edna, ninety-four, asked my student Marcus to read his card out loud. It said, "Roses are red, violets are blue, I like dogs, do you?" Edna laughed so hard she had to put her teacup down. She said she did like dogs, and told him about her collie, Lady, from 1946.

By the end of the hour, the kids were sitting on the floor in a circle around the residents, sharing cookies and stories. One resident taught a group of girls a hand-clapping game from her childhood.

On the bus back, Marcus said, "Can we go every week?" We're going once a month now. Edna has requested more dog poems.