Teams of eighth-graders played teachers — and motivational speakers — for elementary school classes Friday as they led lessons on the power of positive thinking and learning from mistakes.

Throughout the week, in fact, groups of Mont Pleasant Middle School students trekked the short distance to Pleasant Valley Elementary School to deliver their handcrafted lesson plans to younger students. The visits aimed to pass on a lesson the middle school students have learned for the past couple of weeks: Students who believe they can get smarter and devote more time to learning will in turn get smarter.

Wearing a suit and tie and holding a coffee mug in his hands, eighth-grader Anthony Ally looked like he belonged in the front of a classroom. He individually greeted each second-grader in Doreen Croteau’s class as he explained how the young students can learn from their mistakes and not fear the things they can’t yet do.

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