Break Down Barriers by PIF

You sent me some bracelets a couple months ago.  I used them in a 7th grade class I was assisting in an inner city school as part of a kind of "break down the barriers" exercise. I broke the students into two groups and then paired them off randomly. Their assignment was to think about their partner over lunch and come up with at least one quality in their partner that they appreciated.  At the end of class, they exchanged bracelets and kind statements with each other.  I told them they could use the bracelets to either remind them to be kind to others, or they could pass the bracelets on and "pay it forward."  While the students were initially somewhat anxious about the exercise, once we got rolling after lunch and started the bracelet exchange, the enthusiasm really picked up and the energy in the classroom changed dramatically for the better.  Thank you so much for helping me get the students to connect a little!

Gwyn