In one Virginia Beach school, the cafeteria has a very special treat for students.
When students lined up for their usual lunch service, they also received a very special kind of fruit. It looks like a banana and it definitely tastes like a banana. But what makes it special are the messages written on the skin.
The students fondly call these “talking bananas”.
These talking bananas contain simple empowering messages with the intent of brightening their students’ days. Lines like “Show and share your worth!”, “Be a great friend!”, “Follow your dreams!”, and “Your future is bright” end up on lunch trays and into the children’s mindset.
The “talking bananas” was the cafeteria manager’s idea.
Stacey Truman has been employed at Kingston Elementary School for almost a decade but has worked in the school district for more than that. This gave her a lot of chances to interact with children, especially whenever they saw her during lunchtime.
When she started working at Kingston, she decided to do something special for the kids. She grabbed a Sharpie and some bananas, then went on to spread her magic.
“I do it for my kids at home, so I decided to bring it here because they are like my kids, too,” Truman told TODAY Food.
Truman came up with the messages herself.
She told WTKR that all she needed to do was to think of what one would tell a child, especially when we want to empower and encourage them.
While the project had been going on for weeks, it only started gaining more attention when staff members and teachers began sharing photos of the talking bananas.
Sharon Shewbridge, the school’s principal, even sent out a tweet.
She commended Truman for her actions. She sent an email to TODAY saying:
“I shared it on social media because we need more positive messages out there. Truman is so encouraging and does so much for the students and staff at Kingston.”
❤️words of inspiration from our cafeteria manager for our students… #relationshipsmatter #heartwork pic.twitter.com/dj9MyKgI4q
— Sharon Shewbridge (@DrShewbridge) October 25, 2018
It’s not just the staff who’re enjoying these healthy treats.
Truman shared that the kids loved it too.
It might be a small gesture but the effects can be profound and lasting. Seeing words of encouragement daily can have a big impact on kids.
This can help them be more confident and kinder not only to others but to themselves as well.
According to Geoffrey Cohen, a psychology professor at Stanford University Graduate School of Education, affirmative language can make children much more resilient during these developmental years.
Constantly telling them that they are much more than how they see themselves can help them build a stronger foundation for their identities and aspirations.
They may finish their bananas before lunch is over, but the words on the skin will stay with them for as long as they can remember.
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but at Kingston, a banana a day can make kids better not just physically, but mentally as well.
Isn’t this a fantastic idea? Watch how this cafeteria manager turned a fruit into a “day booster” in the video below!
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