Don’t Miss Reading this “LIFE-CHANGING” Article
Paul White's nationally distributed syndicated column, “Don’t Miss Reading this ‘LIFE-CHANGING’ Article” is published in 22 publications across seven states. This includes the following newspapers and digital publications: Midland Daily News (MI), SFGate (CA), Seattle PI (WA), Connecticut Post (CT), Laredo Morning Times (TX), Huron Daily Tribune (MI), The Telegraph (IL), and more. In this week's article, Paul shares a story about a math teacher, that teaches us to look for patterns in children and adults that identify loneliness and take action to connect.
Occasionally I read something that moves me to the point of taking immediate action. I came across the following on social media and while I take zero credit for writing it, I can’t imagine NOT sharing the wonderful thought process it contains. It appears to be written by a math teacher who’s having a conversation with her son’s home room teacher, and after you read it, my hope is that you will share it with everyone you know. While it’s aimed at teachers and parents, the truth is it applies to ALL of us. For ALL of us to be looking to lend a hand to those that need someone’s help…and those that long to be loved by another human…even for only a moment. It matters. READ RIGHT NOW!
ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS AND PARENTS. This is an article that needs to be repeated:
Every Friday afternoon Chase’s teacher asks her students to take out a piece of paper and write down the names of four children with whom they’d like to sit the following week. The children know that these requests may or may not be honored. She also asks the students to nominate one student whom they believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week. All ballots are privately submitted to her.
And every single Friday afternoon, after the students go home, Chase’s teacher takes out those slips of paper, places them in front of her and studies them. She looks for patterns. Who is not getting requested by anyone else? Who doesn’t even know who to request? Who never gets noticed enough to be nominated? Who had a million friends last week and none this week? You see, Chase’s teacher is not looking for a new seating chart or “exceptional citizens.” Chase’s teacher is looking for lonely children. She’s looking for children who are struggling to connect with other children. She’s identifying the little ones who are falling through the cracks of the class’s social life. She is discovering whose gifts are going unnoticed by their peers. And she’s pinning down- right away- who’s being bullied and who is doing the bullying.
As a teacher, parent, and lover of all children – I think that this is the most brilliant Love Ninja strategy I have ever encountered. It’s like taking an X-ray of a classroom to see beneath the surface of things and into the hearts of students. It is like mining for gold – the gold being those little ones who need a little help – who need adults to step in and TEACH them how to make friends, how to ask others to play, how to join a group, or how to share their gifts with others. And it’s a bully deterrent because every teacher knows that bullying usually happens outside of her eyeshot – and that often kids being bullied are too intimidated to share. But as she said – the truth comes out on those safe, private, little sheets of paper. As Chase’s teacher explained this simple, ingenious idea – I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. “How long have you been using this system?” I said. Ever since Columbine, she said. Every single Friday afternoon since Columbine.
Good Lord. This brilliant woman watched Columbine knowing that ALL VIOLENCE BEGINS WITH DISCONNECTION. All outward violence begins as inner loneliness. She watched that tragedy KNOWING that children who aren’t being noticed will eventually resort to being noticed by any means necessary.
And so she decided to start fighting violence early and often, and with the world within her reach. What Chase’s teacher is doing when she sits in her empty classroom studying those lists written with shaky 11 year old hands - is SAVING LIVES. I am convinced of it. She is saving lives.
And what this mathematician has learned while using this system is something she really already knew: that everything – even love, even belonging – has a pattern to it. And she finds those patterns through those lists – she breaks the codes of disconnection. And then she gets lonely kids the help they need. It’s math to her. It’s MATH.
All is love- even math. Amazing.
Chase’s teacher retires this year – after decades of saving lives. What a way to spend a life: looking for patterns of love and loneliness. Stepping in, every single day- and altering the trajectory of our world.
TEACH ON, WARRIORS. You are the first responders, the front line, the disconnection detectives, and the best and ONLY hope we’ve got for a better world. What you do in those classrooms when no one is watching- it’s our best hope.
Me again…I’d love to talk to those two teachers who had this conversation. If anyone reading this can identify them, please reach out to me at coach@theanswerdiscovery.com. There’s a foundation contained in the message here that I’d like to build upon. But now, YOU have read this story, and YOU have complete control over what you can do with this new perspective. Will you look for patterns in adults that identify loneliness, that give you a sense that someone’s being bullied, that show a person whose gifts are going unnoticed by their peers? You…yes, YOU…can help someone in some kind way but you must be looking…and utilizing your natural “pattern recognition” skills to identify the problem. And then you must…MUST take some kind of action to connect with that person. WE ALL NEED TO BE CONNECTED. And always remember: Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!
In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist, Paul White is an author, motivational and inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, and life coach located in Midland, Michigan. His new book, “The Answer Discovery – How to Change the World by Helping Others…and Ourselves,” is available to purchase today. If you’re interested in getting in touch with Paul, please submit an inquiry via our Contact Page.