February 2nd, 2026
I’m not usually an ‘everyone gets a trophy’ kind of person. But in this case, I was totally ready to make an exception. What case is that you ask? In the case of the refugee English Language Acquisition class that I had been teaching for about eight weeks. The class was filled with young women and their children who had come to the United States in order to flee from danger in their homeland. Almost all of them began their journey to the US with being awakened in the middle of the night by their husbands, who themselves had been frantically telephoned, instructed to gather their families, to hustle to the location of the jet that they would board, and to bring nothing but the shoes on their feet & clothes on their backs.
The eight weeks allotted for our English class was wrapping up and I wanted to do something special on our last day together. Had everyone in the class become a fluent English speaker in eight weeks? Of course not. Did each one master all the vocabulary and language expressions that they were being exposed to? Not everyone did, no.
But this is what they did do:
- They opened their small apartments as a meeting place for our lessons.
- They showed up, babies and small children in tow, day after day.
- They took social and academic risks as they sang, joined in shared reading experiences, dramatized simple stories, and participated in action activities.
- They grew in confidence and experienced true joy as they learned and laughed together…something that they hadn’t experienced in quite some time.
- They learned to trust me, their acquaintances who had now become their friends, and most importantly themselves. It was an such an honor to witness all of that joy and confidence spill over into other areas, like assuredly greeting a social worker who knocked on the door, going to the market, and taking a sewing class.
In my heart and knowing a bit of what my students had all gone through in the very recent past, I felt that a celebration was absolutely in order. Backpacks filled with school supplies were prepared as gifts for the children, ice cream sandwiches galore were packed in the cooler, and ---yes, I’ll admit it--- certificates of participation were prepared for all. To say that my students were made to feel honored and very special on that last day of our class would be an understatement. You see, the bridge to a new life was being built, ever since that urgent middle-of-the-night phone call. The journey across that bridge had, so far, been filled with hardships. But this little celebration of learning…it was like a beautiful, unexpected stop along the way; a reminder that life and learning include moments of pure goodness.
What about in your classrooms? Are you providing meaningful, rich opportunities for your students to shine? Are you noticing small victories? Certainly, everything doesn’t require prizes or ice cream or certificates, but recognizing accomplishments along the way just might mean the world to your students. Be mindful of the journey your students are on, watch for triumphs, and take time to celebrate wins.
Ready to learn how GrapeSEED’s Vocabulary, Songs, Stories, Action Activities, Big Books, Phonics Materials and more will impact your students? Click here!
Interested in reading Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this five-part series? Just click here.
