The You Matter Manifesto has changed my classroom!
The You Matter Manifesto developed by Angela Maiers has been gaining momentum in schools everywhere. I first learned about The You Matter Manifesto last year. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more so I viewed her videos and read her postings. I also read Tweets from various people in the education field who were promoting You Matter. I found myself inspired to put her ideas into practice.
I decided to post "You Matter" quotes around my classroom before the start of the 2014-2015 school year. I started sharing this message with my fifth grade students on the first day of school. At first, my students looked at me funny. They didn't quite understand what I was trying to do. I was determined and committed to making an impact. I am glad to report that after many class meetings and lessons, I started to notice a change in my students towards the end of the first marking period. My students started to believe Angela Maier's Manifesto! They realized that even though they are fifth graders, they can make an impact. They have a contribution to make and the world is better because of them. One project that stood out was when two of my students decided to help our local SPCA as part of their Genius Hour project. One student took charge of organizing a SPCA drive in our school. The other student made blankets and toys for the animals. The commitment from these two students was amazing. On the day the items were scheduled to be delivered to the SPCA, I was pleasantly surprised to see additional class members joining us at the SPCA. It wasn't even their project. These students wanted to support their classmates. Here is a prime example of "The You Matter Manifesto" at work in my classroom. It truly was one of the highlights of our year.
I had the privilege of being selected to present a poster session at PETE&C 2015. I was thrilled to learn that Angela Maiers would be giving a keynote at at this technology conference! Her keynote continued to inspire and motivate me to be sure my students know that they mattered to me. I returned to my classroom and continued to share this message for the remainder of the school year. I am proud to report that "You Matter" had a profound impact on my students and me! My students left elementary school knowing that their fifth grade teacher cared about them!
Be sure to view the TeDxDesMoines video found on YouTube.
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