Secret Santa – 2017

Lawrence and I are mentor buddies.

We’ve combined our mentor classes together to create one big mentor class. Every morning, we walk into D503 and are greeted by 25 Grade 11 students: some smiling, some studying, and some sleeping. The wonderful thing about this particular group is that they are engaged with what we present them. Whether it’s an activity based on the most recent PSE unit, or a dance lesson as part of #WellnessWednesday, our kids come in enthusiastic & energetic (as long as they’ve had their morning coffee, or so I’ve been told…)

A few weeks ago, Lawrence and I asked our students if they’d be interested in doing a Secret Santa exchange and the answer was a resounding YES! Now, I know that not all of our students celebrate Christmas, but we weren’t trying to make this into a “Christmas” thing; we wanted to make it a “Santa” thing. According to the traditional story, Santa brings presents to all the good girls and boys, regardless of religion or cultural background, and this is what Lawrence and I set out to promote. (note: we assume ALL of our students have been good!)

After selecting names from a hat, students were given a budget of $10 max to spend on their “secret” partner. Each student filled out a GDoc where they answered questions like “what is your favourite sweet (or savoury) treat?” and “what is one thing that makes you smile?” Their responses were collected in a table that the entire mentor group could access; this way, students could use the information to help in their gift selection. Students then decided that the last Wednesday together in December should be our Secret Santa day, and that’s exactly what we did. This morning I came in early and left M&M’s and a candy cane at each student’s seat — a sweet bit of cheer for the morning.

Everyone was laughing and genuinely excited to receive a secret gift from a fellow student. All of our students stayed within budget and came up with creative ways to make their peers happy. It may seem like such a little thing to us as teachers, but it means so much more to them, our students.

If you have any suggestions on how to keep this momentum going in the new year, then please comment below. I’d love to collaborate with others!