Nov. 23, 2005

It&8217;s no coincidence that Thanksgiving falls just before Christmas on the calendar.

The guy responsible for picking the days for America to celebrate its holidays kept everyone in mind when he made the final decision.

The business owners and merchants need a big, yet smaller, holiday to officially kick off the Christmas shopping season.

The consumers need one last relaxing, food-filled day of football before they get bombarded with expenses.

The parents and teachers need to remind their children that it is important to be thankful for all the things you&8217;ve got before they let them slide into complete materialism for a month.

And the kids need a good excuse to start sucking up.

After all, Santa&8217;s making his list and checking it twice, so it&8217;s time to start being all the more nice.

Don&8217;t get me wrong, there was sincerity in the voices of the fourth-graders last week when I went around one-by-one and asked them what they were thankful for, but they knew what they were doing too.

By now they are well aware that what they say to me is probably going to end up in the newspaper. What better avenue is there to gain some brownie points with mom, dad, grandma, Santa and their teachers as we hit the gift getting homestretch?

I&8217;d call it just plain smart. And it&8217;s not the kind of smart that shows up on any test.

So, the question was simple &8212; what are you thankful for? &8212; here are their answers:

Breanna &8212; &8220;For having Ms. Phipps and Ms. Bell to teach me.&8221;

(Ms. Kendra Phipps is an inclusion teacher at McLaurin. She helps out in classrooms across the fourth-grade when needed. She was manning the room for Ms. Bell when Breanna gave her answer.)

Jamie &8212; &8220;My mother, for putting the clothes on my back, putting shelter over my head and food in my mouth.&8221;

Jimmesha &8212; &8220;My mom and my family.&8221;

Thomas &8212; &8220;My momma.&8221;

Denisecya &8212; &8220;Teachers, Ms. Phipps.&8221;

Deante &8212; &8220;My family.&8221;

Tyrin &8212; &8220;God and the whole world.&8221;

Terrica &8212; &8220;My grandma, my family and food.&8221;

Travez &8212; &8220;My church, New Hope Missionary Baptist, and grandma, grandpa and mom and dad.&8221;

Ayana &8212; &8220;Family and food&8221;

Jesse &8212; &8220;Ms. Phipps and my mom.&8221;

Nyelah &8212; &8220;Family&8221;

Taquania &8212; &8220;Family, Ms. Bell and Ms. Phipps.&8221;

Tristan &8212; &8220;My family.&8221;

Brianna &8212; &8220;My family, Ms. Bell and Mrs. Tuccio, and that I have a mom.&8221;

Sidney &8212; &8220;Family.&8221;

And then there are the kids who are nothing but honest:

Tempestt &8212; &8220;Turkey, rice and gravy.&8221;

Kelvin &8212; &8220;Food, dressing and turkey.&8221;

And the unique answers:

Delvon &8212; &8220;Everything.&8221;

Dezzie &8212; &8220;Having a bed.&8221;

Kenneth &8212; &8220;Thanksgiving and how we celebrate.&8221;

Walter &8212; &8220;Ms. Bell&8217;s daughter.&8221; (I can&8217;t explain that one. She has one daughter who&8217;s in the fourth-grade also, but maybe it&8217;s not her.)

Whether they really were intentionally trying to earn brownie points, or they are just sweet-hearted kids, the comments overheard by Ms. Phipps were having a positive effect.

&8220;I&8217;m thankful for all my little angels,&8221; she said once she heard their comments about her. &8220;I love them all.&8221;

So, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, you&8217;ve got some precious children out there; reward them well this holiday season. But you don&8217;t have to break the bank on video games to do it. Spoil them, spoil them well, but do it with attention. That&8217;s what they really want. Though &8230; a few new toys would be nice, too.

Julie Finley is news editor and education reporter for The Natchez Democrat. She writes a weekly column based on experiences with Marty Tuccio&8217;s homeroom class at McLaurin Elementary. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or

julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com

.