http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/tcrmag/2014/02/2014-02-14e-tcrmag.mp3
Fourth-grader Dimitri Bradley stands in front of a classroom at Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley.
"Hello, class," he says, raising one pointed finger in a commanding, teacherly fashion. "Welcome to Love Academy! Today, we will be giving a demonstration on the facts of love."
His audience giggles. He pushes imaginary glasses up his nose, unfazed.
"A demonstration ... of love," Dimitri exclaims.
He calls for volunteers, and the group puts on a small skit for its audience of 5-year-olds and 9-year-olds, modeling compassion and human kindness. Last fall, Bradley and his peers offered a wide variety of skits, songs, poems and stories to younger students at the school as part of a life skills curriculum designed by fourth-grade teacher Jessica Arroyo.
Each week students tackled a different theme, or "life skill" -- discipline, say, or respect. In mid-December, the theme was "love," and fourth-graders spent a week asking their families and peers what love meant to them, participating in class activities, and coming up with their own thoughts to present at the end of the week.
"Just having love being talked about in the classroom is always so eye-opening for the kids," says fourth-grade teacher Lisa Kelly, who decided to launch her colleague's curriculum in her own classroom after seeing it in action the previous year.
"It's kind of like, 'I thought love was a private thing. I thought it was a personal thing that was only between me and my mom, or me and my dad ... or me and the person I have a crush on,’ ” Kelly says.
But after a week of wrangling with the concept, the students have come to realize that love is something we can all talk about and cultivate, not only as a family but also as a school and a community. So, we spread out around the school and asked the kids what they’ve learned about love.
"What love means to me," offers Feseha Mehertu, "is like ... caring for someone else and putting someone else's needs before yours."
"Love is always surrounding you," adds Giselle Leslie. "It's never, like, not surrounding you."
Alishba Shabir says she thinks "love is a big tree. And family (is) the roots and friends are the stems. But after all, love is that big tree that everybody likes."
Some students' thoughts go immediately to their secret crushes.
"I've been in love with this boy who still goes to my school," says Aurora Pope, with a shy smile. "And his name is ..." she pauses, looking up and down the hall, then at her two friends sitting next to her. She leans in close. "Dane. He likes to do flips and stuff, and I used to take gymnastics. That's one of the reasons I like him."
Other students are skeptical about the idea of romantic love in elementary school.
"I don't really believe you can be in love until you have a boyfriend or girlfriend," says Zarina Dixon.
"But you could like someone at any age," protests Isaac Mitchell. "It doesn't really matter."
Love songs are a favorite topic. Zarina, a talented vocalist, jumped at the chance to talk about them and to sing.
"I love love songs! They're like the best songs in the world," she exclaims.
She launches into one of her current favorites: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele.
"There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark," she begins, eventually launching into the chorus: "We could have had it all, rolling in the deep, you had my heart inside of your hand, and you played it, to the beat ..."
After a minute, she glances at her interlocutors. "Should I keep singing?"
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