The wonderfully moving #IWishMyTeacherKnew is trending on Twitter right now, and it's not surprising why it's picked up steam so quickly. It might be hard to fully remember elementary school, but you probably remember the highlights of it with brutal detail. For every kickball victory, there was some knock-down, drag-out sadness or insecurity that you were ill-equipped to handle or even explain to anyone at that age. Kyle Schwartz, a teacher in Denver, sought to change that by asking her students to write her letters about things that they wanted to tell her. She shared some of the heartbreaking and eye-opening notes, and now students and teachers all over the nation are joining in the campaign.
The revelations made in these letters are as simple as not having resources at home and as crushing as a student who desperately misses their deported father. It's the kind of thing even the most well-intentioned teachers might not have known about their students, because it is incredibly difficult at that age to articulate or share things that feel deeply personal even with someone students trust. What's beautiful about these letters, as heartbreaking as some of them are, is that this simple exercise might be a huge step for teachers trying to understand how to best help students overcome their struggles so that they feel safe and understood in the place where they are spending most of their day.
Schwartz's class in particular is comprised of underprivileged third graders. She shared the notes both to raise awareness about the issues they're facing, and foster stronger student-teacher relationships. Here are some of the letters she initially shared on Twitter:
Since then, the trend has taken off on Twitter, inspiring other teachers and both current and former students to follow suit.
These letters are just another beautiful demonstration of the efforts that teachers go to trying to improve their students' lives, and just how important that kind of acceptance is to the children they teach. Bravo, Kyle Schwartz, and all the teachers participating. Hopefully this trend is one that sticks around.
