Do you need a pick-me-up? A group of fifth-graders at Milford School in Indiana has you covered! Their “When Life Gives You Lemons, Call a 5th Grader” hotline will help turn your frown upside down.
Milford School teacher Cheryl Van Laeken and her students set up the phone line last March. They were inspired by students in California who had done something similar.
The Milford fifth-graders chose five categories for their hotline. Callers can hear jokes, pep talks and advice, inspirational quotes, kind sayings, and trivia facts.
The students researched quotes from famous people and funny jokes. They worked together to choose the ones they wanted to record for the hotline. To keep it fresh, the class recorded new content every few weeks.
“I want people to enjoy it,” says Ava Hettinger. The 11-year-old was a student in Van Laeken’s class last year. “If they’re having a bad day, they can just call and get a pep talk.”
Van Laeken plans to keep the hotline going this fall with her new fifth-graders—with some help from last year’s students. She hopes the phone line will continue to bring people joy.
“If we can be a small light in a dark world, I’ll take it,” Van Laeken says.