Hello, everyone! With St. Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d tell you the story of how it got started. There are several different versions of the story, but I like this one best! 🙂

In the 3rd century, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. Claudius wanted to have a big army so he needed men to join. Most of the men, however, weren’t interested in leaving their wives and families behind to go fight for the emperor. This really made Claudius mad, so he passed a law that said that no one could get married. Wow! Drastic, huh?

Well, Valentine was a priest and he believed that young couples in love had the right to get married, so he conducted the wedding ceremonies in secret. Eventually, he was caught and thrown into prison. While he was in prison, many of the citizens showed support for him by throwing small gifts and notes up to his window.

Valentine spent many hours with the daughter of the jailer. They became close and on the day that he was to be executed (killed) he left a note for her that said “Love, Your Valentine.” From this, it’s easy to see how Valentine’s Day has such romantic feelings attached to it.

I plan to buy some roses for Emi-sensei for Valentine’s Day. Don’t tell her, okay? It will be our little secret.

We’ve had some new students in the children’s classes this month and the rooms have been crowded at times. I appreciate everyone’s patience as we show these guests how well we are learning English! We’ve heard back from some of the parents and they are amazed by how well all of you students are doing in class. Keep up the good work! I’m so proud of each and every one of you.

I’ve bought some new stools for the children’s classes and a new rug for the floor, too. I think these stools are much more comfortable than the old ones. I’ve also ordered new tables to keep our classrooms looking great and professional. I hope you like the changes.

Have a great week, everyone! See you in class.

Jeff