Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts

Valentine’s Day is an interesting day in a school. There’s just too much pressure. We have kids who have been dating and who sometimes have differing expectations and therefore end up arguing. We have students who decide this is the perfect day to show how much they like someone. We have students who feel ignored and wonder if anyone special will ever notice them on Valentine’s Day. We have others who hate the whole day and all that it represents.

And think about our younger students with all of the pressure of paper valentines. I always made my own kids give one to every student in the class, when really, they didn’t want to give one to every kid. And the “counters”–those students who walk around all day reciting the number of valentines they’ve received. Oh brother, what a pain in the neck those kids are!

What I like the most about the day are those kids who decide to go for it and surprise someone with their interest or affection. Now those kids have to take a serious risk. It’s never easy to reveal how you feel about someone, especially when you’re not sure if it will be reciprocated. But you’ve got to admire the guy who goes “all in”, buys the flowers or candy and puts it out there. Who the heck knows what will happen? The girl may have been just waiting for the boy to express his interest, she may be totally shocked by it, or actually a little put off. Hopefully, she reacts with dignity and kindness and thinks of the admirer’s feelings too. But the thing I love the most is the obvious sign of moxie, guts, chutzpah. That’s the guy I want on my side, the one who’s not afraid to go “all in” when it really counts.

What’s that expression? “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Too many people play it safe to avoid being hurt. My hat is totally off to guys like R.D. today. Even if he doesn’t get the reaction he’s most hoping for, he’s top dog in my book. I love a guy with guts. And making someone else feel valued and liked? Well, that’s NEVER a bad thing.