As a teacher, Jess Zhou recognizes that teachings extend beyond academic courses or instruction. Children are always learning, and their interactions and experiences with instructors help them grow and acquire confidence in their talents far beyond the classroom.
Ms. Zhou utilized the time after school, when her third-grade pupils were waiting to be picked up, to create a unique experience for them. Zhou asked them to create a unique Squishmallow, a popular plush toy, and then personally sewed each of their designs. It took the greater part of the year, but each kid received a Squishmallow that they had individually crafted.
Zhou explained to Upworthy how the idea came about:
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“I’ve been producing bespoke graduation gifts for kids for years, but it was a lot of work to do it in the last month of school, so I decided to make one a week this year and chronicle the process. I was inspired to use the Squishmallow form after hearing students discuss how much they enjoyed collecting Squishmallow plushies.
In October 2024, I handed pupils a blank paper and instructed them to create their own Squishmallow character and define their personality attributes. They had no idea that their ideas would one day become plushies. I completed most of the sewing on weekends, using leftover fabric I had acquired over the years to construct the plushies.
It was a big surprise when the first Squishmallow emerged from the box, and each student received an adoption ceremony in which their design was revealed in front of the entire class, and each student was able to insert a felt heart into their plushie before it was sewn shut. They were also able to sign an adoption certificate. “All 27 plushies came to life by the end of the year!”
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“This project in particular was about empowering students to be designers,” Zhou tells Upworthy. “Students got to appreciate each step of the design process, and students got to see their work as masterpieces rather than just assignments.”
According to Zhou, the children are now enthusiastic to develop additional things. “I want students to develop real-world skills that will set them up for later-life success,” she adds, adding that she has also taught her younger students about voting, taxes, and artificial intelligence literacy.
Part of the endeavor was fixing the Squishmallows if they broke. They went to “the hospital” whenever that happened, and Zhou repaired any wounds they had, from missing eyeballs to ripped seams.
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Zhou also displayed kindness and charity toward her kids when another instructor contacted her after viewing one of her videos and inquired where she might purchase a wedding Squishmallow. The instructor was a Squishmallow collector who was planning her own wedding, so Zhou made bride and groom Squishmallows for her using drawings from the teacher’s pupils.
Zhou teaches in Los Angeles and stated that the previous school year was a difficult adjustment for the pupils since their prior school location was closed and two schools were amalgamated. “This was a big change for students because they had to get used to the new school and make new friends,” says Zhou, “so the plushies created a special bonding experience because it brought the students together and allowed them to make core memories at the new school.”
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In fact, she claims that two of her pupils made identical designs for their plushies, which can cause conflict when students accuse one another of plagiarism. “But after the adoption ceremony, these girls informed me that they cooperated on their drawings and that their figures were ‘sisters,'” Zhou recounts.” “These ladies had attended separate schools in second grade, and after collaborating on several school projects, they became excellent friends in third grade. After school, I was heading home when I heard tapping on the bus window, and the girls pointed to their plushies, which were sitting next to each other on the bus! It was a lovely moment that they wanted me to see.”
Look at how cool and different the children’s designs were:
Many instructors go above and beyond the call of duty to provide their children with an education that extends far beyond academics, and Ms. Zhou is a great example. She will be teaching STEM in middle school the next school year, and those pupils will undoubtedly benefit from her ingenuity and devotion in the same way that her younger students have. Ms. Zhou, we wish you the best in your new role!
