Everything I need to know about Valentine's Day I learned from a sixth grader.

Today I received a single red rose from Sergio, one of my students. He was all dressed up in a suit for our Valentine's Day dance and looked like a little gentleman presenting his rose. So cute. It made my day.

Annie stood next to me in the school gym as we watched kids doing the swing moves I taught them to Ella Fitzgerald. She turned to me and asked, "Have you danced with anyone your age at the dance today?"

I laughed and said, "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't think there are any guys my age to dance with... anywhere. I'm not sure they exist."

Annie looked a bit confused and said, "Oh... Well, you can just dance with me then."

And so we danced.

I found Kayla sitting on the floor of the gym crying because none of the boys were asking her to dance. I stood her up, gave her a hug, and said, "You don't need boys to ask you to dance to have a fun time. Just go out there and dance!" She dried her tears and smiled, and we headed out to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Matthew had heard why Kayla was upset. Before she knew what hit her, Kayla was surrounded by 6 boys all wanting to dance with her - Matthew at the lead. She lit up as she danced with one kind boy after another.

Jordan gave me a Valentine card that said, "I love you because you are the best teacher in the whole world."

It's amazing how those little monkeys I teach can become so sweet. Today they were wonderful reminders of what is important in life: helping others feel loved.

Happy Valentine's Day!