Colonial Elementary School students embrace the best parts of themselves

Colonial Elementary School fifth-graders were encouraged to think about their bodies in a positive way during a recent lesson that tied into a book they read called “The Best Part of Me.”

The book features a collection of black-and-white photographs of children, accompanied by their descriptions of why they like their nose, their back, their hair, or other parts of their physical selves that make them unique. Teacher Manuela Herbas selected the book to share with her class as part of her community-building lessons, which are meant to inspire students to see themselves and their classmates in a positive light. 

After reading the book, she asked students to pick three body parts to write about, and they were free to choose a part of themselves that they were thankful for, that they love, or that they feel insecure about. Just like the book, the class took black and white pictures of themselves to showcase their pride in their physical attributes. The written pieces and photographs hang above the lockers outside their classroom as a visible reminder of the power that comes with having a positive body image.

“The discussion we had was so sweet,” said Mrs. Herbas. “A lot of the kids loved their body part because of the connections to their family member. Other classmates would agree with their peer’s choice and pump them up. If we talked about an insecurity, we discussed how we could see it in a positive light.”

Student Matias Gamboa Grateral said in his work that the best part of him is his nose, because it allows him to smell flowers, food, and home. He also likes his nose because it is a feature common to people he loves.

“My nose connects me to my family because we have similar noses,” he wrote.