Try to think about what it was like being a child. Were you ever afraid? Happy? Anxious? Did you ever want to tell your teacher a secret, but felt small and insignificant? Were you afraid of looking vulnerable in front of the only adult you spent more time with than your parents?
Elementary school teacher Kyle Schwartz decided to ask her students directly what they wish she knew about them. The responses vary from painfully honest to excruciatingly heartbreaking.
Schwartz is a third-grade teacher in Denver, Colo., where 96 percent of students live below the poverty line. Many of those students are going through hardships they generally don’t share with peers or teachers, but with Schwartz’s encouragement, they wrote down their feelings on colorful pieces of paper.
Schwartz shared the students’ notes on Twitter last month, and the hashtag #IWishMyTeacherKnew quickly went viral.
Had my students write “I wish my teacher knew___” It’s a reality check. #edchat #fellowschat pic.twitter.com/8vFUZqQnu0
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) March 28, 2015
#iwishmyteacherknew I don’t have a friend to play with me. Honest answers from kids #edchat pic.twitter.com/5H0EPgRzPQ
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) April 6, 2015
#iwishmyteacherknew how much I miss my dad since he got deported #edchat #ImmigrationReform pic.twitter.com/yUK0FCwwiO
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) April 6, 2015
@doodlinmunkyboy Lame jokes are the best! I got #iwishmyteacherknew I love school. Guess it’s elem vs high school pic.twitter.com/a1he3hAdwU
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) April 7, 2015
#iwishmyteacherknew that I want to go to college #edchat pic.twitter.com/pal9Y4L846
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) April 7, 2015
#iwishmyteacherknew Vietnamese because then she can say words I forget pic.twitter.com/lEFdKxe136
— Kyle Schwartz (@hikyleschwartz) April 6, 2015
Students were able to submit their answers anonymously or sign their names and share their notes with the class, Schwartz explained to ABC News. By sharing their stories with the teacher and with each other, students could have a better understanding of what their peers were going through. Schwartz also hoped the project would give those students that might not have anyone to play with the opportunity to make a new friend.
Schwartz’s unique feedback technique has inspired teachers and parents around the world to ask students what they wish their teacher knew.
https://twitter.com/Caralaralara/status/588797189197062144
“I wish my teacher knew…”
— Rebecca Shoniker (@RebeccaShoniker) April 14, 2015
Middle school ST responses.
WOW! Heartfelt, honest, powerful.#iwishmyteacherknew pic.twitter.com/x6munGKHiT
#iwishmyteacherknew we need fun and fresh air for our brain cells pic.twitter.com/kGMF3pfed8
— Cassie Norsworthy (@mrsnorsworthy) April 14, 2015
I absolute love this idea! MT @mrsnorsworthy: #iwishmyteacherknew how much drama goes on these days pic.twitter.com/KPHUqCVMPz
— Dr. Mary Howard (@DrMaryHoward) April 5, 2015
Students in Schwartz’s classroom are now at the epicenter of a growing movement to encourage kids to engage with their teachers. They’ve also directly inspired a community fundraising campaign. Schwartz has set up a DonorsChoose campaign in order to help teach her class financial literacy and secure funds to help out her students with disabilities.
#IWishMyTeacherKnew is an exercise in empathy, and a reminder that between recess and math homework, kids are experiencing hidden difficulties just as much as we are. Sometimes, it feels good to share them.
Photo via guilherme jofili/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
