This Teacher Asked Her Students a Simple Question and Their Answers Were an Eye-Opener

Children are simply amazing. They are innocent, honest, open-minded, and creative that’s why I often wonder what goes on in their little heads. I also often wish that they wouldn’t have to be corrupted with the bad and ugly truth that’s been happening in this world.

Unfortunately,  there are children who are forced to grow up and see how difficult life is at such an early age instead of just enjoying a carefree life running around, playing, and exploring. That’s what prompted Kyle Schwartz to ask her young students about their lives, but this teacher used a unique and simple method that enabled her students to open up to her.

Kyle Schwartz is an elementary school teacher in Denver. She handles students in the third grade, who, sadly, come from underprivileged families. Ms. Schwartz wanted to find out more about her students’ struggles and concerns so she devised a lesson plan called “I Wish My Teacher Knew”.

Ms. Schwartz wasn’t prepared for what she learned about her students.

“I let students determine if they would like to answer anonymously,” Ms. Schwartz said.

“I have found that most students are not only willing to include their name, but also enjoy sharing with the class. Even when what my students are sharing is sensitive in nature, most students want their classmates to know”, added Ms. Schwartz

Ms, Schwartz was astounded by the children’s honesty and courage.

The teacher shared the children’s notes on Twitter to spread awareness about their condition.

“I care deeply about each and every one of my students and I don’t want any of them to have to suffer the consequences of living in poverty, which is my main motivation for teaching.”

Kyle Schwartz hopes that by doing this, she can help the students communicate with their families and schools and inform them about the resources that they need.

“Building community in my classroom is a major goal of this lesson,” The teacher said.

One of the students who said that she doesn’t have anyone to play with was amazed by her classmates response, “we got your back”, they said. The next day, Ms. Schwartz noticed that the student was with a group of girls playing during recess.

The project not only helped her understand what the children are going through so she could support them, but it also allowed the children to help each other out. Ms. Schwartz is encouraging other teachers to use the same lesson with their students