A Colorado teacher is making an impact by connecting with her students in a personal way.
Maddie Richardson, a middle school science teacher, at Parker Performing Arts School, makes an effort to share with her students “something useful” or some type of information she wishes she would have known, she told “Good Morning America.”
She also shared it with her thousands of followers on Tik Tok.
Richardson does different exercises to help her students relieve stress, anxiety, or any other issues they may be dealing with that day.
She also shares valuable wisdom with her students such as, “If I knew one thing when I was younger, here’s what I wish I would have known. Emotions are a lot like the weather, and if you wait a little bit of time, it’s probably going to change.”
“Kids aren’t computers and they can’t be all analytics and all data all the time, and their emotional needs don’t stop the moment they leave their parent’s car,” Richardson said.
Continuing she said, “They continue to have those needs and learning experiences throughout the school day. And so it’s not only important that they learn science in my class, but also it’s important that they learn how to regulate themselves and how to be a good human.”
@themissrproject A personal reminder from me to all of you 💕 #sel #teachersoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #socialemotionallearning #fyp #class #advice #motivation #student #parents #love #you
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Richardson said that one of the biggest things she tries to remind herself of is that she is teaching “future humans” and not “test-takers.”
“Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills” and “encouraging words from adults are all important for helping children develop self confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life,” according to Mental Health America.
Proverbs 22:6 teaches us the importance of raising children correctly saying, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
One lesson that Richardson repeats with her students each day is, “Today is a new day with a new opportunity to make your world a better place to be.”