Writing an exam can be extremely stressful, which is why one teacher did something truly special to encourage and inspire her students.
Chandni Langford, a fifth grade teacher at New Jersey’s Evergreen Avenue Elementary School, surprised her pupils by writing personal, motivational messages on each of their desks. Photos of the sweet gesture were posted to the school’s Facebook page earlier this month.
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it!” one reads. “Do your best!”
“Learning is your superpower!” another says. “Remember, never stop trying and never stop growing your brain!”
Langford’s students were nervous about taking a PARRC standardized test that would determine whether or not they would move on to the next grade. And if that wasn’t enough pressure, the intimidating exam lasted seven days.
That’s why it was so important to Langford to motivate her students. “I want my kids to know that I appreciate them and that I believe they can achieve anything they want to,” she told ABC News. “And for me, it doesn't matter if they don't do well or even if they fail – as long as they were trying their hardest, learn from their mistakes and do better in the future.”
“I want my kids to know that I appreciate them and that I believe they can achieve anything they want to.”
The fifth grade teacher was inspired to motivate her students' with inspirational quotes after she saw the idea on Pinterest, Mashable reports. She then picked quotes that not only resonated with her students, but also aligned with their lessons on growth mindset, which is understanding how intelligence can be developed.
Langford also told Lotsol that personalizing each message was “really important to me because giving individual attention is always important.”
Since photos of Langford’s inspirational quotes were posted to Facebook, they have gone viral with over 19,000 likes and 21,000 shares. In the comments, the teacher received endless praise for motivating her students in this creative way.
“I love this!!!!” one parent wrote. “Imagine how GREAT these lucky students are to come walking into this classroom and finding these powerful words ??? Wish my son had a few teachers that would do this!!! Just FANTASTIC!!!”
Another said: “You deserve an award and more teachers should model this approach.”
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