Mrs. Rule/ Field experience/ Reading a Christmas Carol

The third time I went to Mrs.Rule's classroom they were reading a Christmas Carol. They were expected to finish a packet on the book that consisted of critical questions about the main themes, comprehension, and vocabulary. Before they began to go over some of the packet questions she read a few parts of the book out loud in an interesting voice. Her reading out loud brought me back to my childhood and it made me realize why I love English so much.
Some of the questions throughout the packet really struck me. One consisted of asking what the importance of gift giving is on the holidays. Many kids answered by calling out that it is important to give more than you receive. This was very touching for me to hear because when I was in middle school, all the kids ever talked about during Christmas was about all the gifts they wanted or how unhappy that they were when they did not get them. In addition, she asked what the universal themes in the story were. Many of the kids stated that money can not buy happiness, do onto to others as they do onto you, and people can change. This part of the lesson really touched me the most because I enjoy reading so much because everyone can take a piece of advice out of what they have read and relate it to their own life. I think it is very important to teach the next generation of kids the importance of treating others with respect and to always be thankful for what one has. At the end of the packet there was a quote that stated "It's sharing your gifts, not purchasing gifts. It's not wrapping presents, it's being present and wrapping your arms around the ones you love. It's not getting Christmas cards out on time, it's sending cards, anytime, at the right time. It's not having the best Christmas light display, it's displaying the light of Christ that comes from your heart. It's not Santa coming down the chimney, it's Jesus coming down from Heaven and giving us the gift of eternal life." This really showed me the importance of teaching our kids what is right and encouraging them to do so. I hope to be a teacher one day that can influence many kids to be the best that they can be for themselves and others.