$369.67

Trick-or-treat for UNICEF is a novel idea that encourages kids to help kids. The organization works to provide basic needs - clean water, food, vaccinations, etc. to children across the world who most need it. The kit they send teachers is great - with collection boxes, lesson plans, and a kid-friendly video that shows what kids around the world go through for the simple things most of us take for granted. It really touched my students, and exposed them to parts of the world that they rarely imagine.

Last year my students raised $170, which I was quite excited about. This year, inspired by the video and a great discussion about the most basic things people need to survive, my students raised $369.67!! I was stoked. It's incredible how passionate and generous kids can be with the right encouragement - we could learn a lot of lessons as adults.

Tonight Courtney and I took the top 5 money collectors out to dinner at Pizza Hut. It was an interesting mix with two fourth-graders and three-fifth graders, all girls. The socioeconomic range of my class is huge, from solidly middle class (two-income) to homeless. It was interesting to see this play out at dinner.