I totally stole the lesson idea of "I like ______ because ______" from my friend M, and it's turning out great. Very revealing. One kid likes monsters because they're "scary and wild". Another kid went to Tokyo to shake hands with the new Morning Musume member because he "wanted to encourage her". And a third kid wrote "I like money because it makes me happy."

Unfortunately, she also wants to become a preschool teacher. It will probably be difficult to reconcile those two life positions.