Goal 12: Reach Out
Part of the 30 Goals Challenge Series
One of the best teacher trainings I atended had nothing to do with technology. Instead, the speaker
related how much a smile and a gesture can make a diference in a student’s life. He told an anecdote
of how he was warned by his principal of his bad mood. He made a change. He stood at the door and
began greetng every student who came in with a handshake and a smile. At frst, he admited it was
insincere. The act itself was just in response to getng in trouble and there were some students he
really didn’t appreciate having in his classes, yet he told each one this as they walked out the door. You
know which students, the misbehaved children that many teachers fear. One day, one of these
students wrote the teacher a thank you note. This student was contemplatng suicide and had told
himself that if one person had wanted him around he wouldn’t do it. Afer this, the handshakes
became hi-fves and the smile sincere.
The Challenge
When I began this challenge, it was a way for me to jump start myself in accomplishing my own goals,
some which I have been trying to accomplish for over a decade. When I frst began using social media
less than a year ago, I notced that I was beginning to achieve my goals and set higher challenges for
myself. This was at a tme I was depressed. I had suddenly moved to a foreign country, did not know
the language, and had given up my favorite job in the world. Life happens to us and having a support
system makes the diference. Everyday, I look forward to a kind gesture from my Personal Learning
Network (PLN). It can be a song on Blip.FM, a comment on Facebook or my blog, a DM on Twiter, a
Skype call, a nominaton for an award, and the list goes on.
Your reaching out has made the diference in my life. Reaching out makes a diference in your
students’ lives.
Recently, I read Mart Side’s great post, Check Yes or No, where she related how a student thanked
her for being the frst teacher willing to help him. This was my response to her:
Sadly, I am not surprised by his experience. I ran a creatve writng program at at-risk schools and
alternatve schools in my city. They had the lowest reading scores and faced incredibly difcult
situatons in their personal lives. I thought the teachers would have a passion for helping these
students. Instead, I frequently saw the opposite. The teachers called them stupid and told them they
would amount to nothing. The principals walked the hallways and ignored the teachers yelling. I know
what it is to grow up in a really poor area, I went to an at risk school. I was fortunate to have very
loving teachers but how about my friends who had the ones who were burnt out by the job? Teachers
have such an impact on students. A kind smile and help goes a long way. This is one reason I’m so
passionate about building a support network for teachers. The less that are burnt out by the system
then perhaps the more teachers we will have that are passionate and will make a diference in their
students’ lives!
Reaching Out to Teachers
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