Is the exchange of Valentines discouraged by your school district?

Over three quarters of the teachers who took this poll responded with a negative: their school district does not discourage the exchange of Valentine's. Thank goodness! The swapping of Valentine cards, particularly in primary grades, is one of the highlights of the year. It is almost magical to see your child come home with their envelope made from two construction paper hearts bursting with an array of Valentine's cards. It's almost guaranteed that the minute they get home, they empty the package and go through each one individually.

There is a story to each Valentine card if parents have the time to listen. You'll hear that Sara made homemade cards for everyone because she likes to do crafts; Michael got Transformer Valentine's for everyone because that's all he ever talks about; and the Valentine from the girl that sits three desks away says she want to be friends. It's an opportunity for parents to get a little insight into the children that spend so much time with their own child.

There are parents and teachers who don't like the idea of the exchange of Valentine cards. Certainly, it must be done in such as way that everyone is included so as to avoid any child feeling like Charlie Brown does every Christmas when he only gets rocks in his mailbox. Past a certain age and grade, most children aren't as interested as they used to be, especially the boys. A thirteen year old boy in Grade 7 doesn't want to be sending all the other boys a card asking them to be his Valentine. Perfectly understandable, but when they are young and still interested it good to know that the majority of school districts don't discourage the practice.

Some schools turn the day into a fundraising opportunity by selling candy-grams. Students can declare their undying affection for another student through the gifting of a heart-shaped lollipop. It takes a serious amount of bravery to put your love out there for the entire world to see, but it seems to be a popular idea. The vast majority of these candy-grams are probably sent from female students to their circle of friends, but it doesn't matter. The school makes a little money and it makes the students happy.

In this age of political correctness and healthy eating, it's good to know that some things never change.