When I say “jelly”, what do you think of? Jam, jell-o, jellyfish, jelly beans? I recently learned the majority of the students here think of jell-o! How did I figure this out? When my students wanted to be jelly!
Each year, I challenge my grade 12 class to come up with a class name. The challenge is to come up with a name that not only describes them now but presents a challenge to work towards who they want to be. We go out to the beach for a day, have some fun, talk about their grade 12 year, and then they spend time alone setting goals and coming up with a name they would like for their class. We all come back together and talk through all the options. This year, the unanimous decision was “the Jelly Class of 2017”.
How does Jelly possibly motivate a class? So I asked them, took their answers and presented them with the following. This is the challenge the class is taking on for their senior year:
Let’s face it. Almost everyone likes jelly! Its unique, there really isn’t another food quite like it. It’s flexible, moldable, sweet, colorful, comes in many flavors- even better when multiple flavors are combined! You just take a little box of powder, mix in some hot water, let it set awhile and poof you have jelly!
Class of 2017, let’s face it. Almost everyone likes you! You are unique; there really isn’t another class quite like yours. You are flexible, moldable, sweet, colorful and you have many talents. You are at your best when you are all combined together!
You came to HOPAC as little bits of powder and you are being mixed with hot water but the hot water will cool off and poof before you know it you are the graduated class of 2017!
A few lessons and challenges for you to learn from Jelly for the next year:
- Be transparent: Jelly is transparent. When you can be transparent and open with each other, you allow yourselves to grow closer together and better bond together to support each other.
- Stick together: Individually, you can’t make jelly. One speck of powder and hot water is just a sticky mess. You need each other. Together you can be bigger and stronger. You can withstand more and not crumble apart.
- Find the right balance: You have to have the right balance or the Jelly won’t set. Too much hot water and not enough powder is soup, not Jelly. Too much powder and not enough hot water… still pretty much powder. Work together, push each other but not too hard. Just enough. Balance work and play.
- Be moldable. When you are moldable, you can take on the shape of whatever God wants for you (not what others want from you!) You can be world-changers, achievers, a team, etc
- Be flexible: Roll with the punches, go with the flow, just wobble with the shaking or dropping. You will be ok.