Teacher surprises students with inspiring desk messages on exam day
A teacher's ability to motivate can start with a few simple words doodled on a desk.
Chandni Langford is a fifth grade teacher in the Woodbury school system in New Jersey. Langford's students were nervous about upcoming high-stakes exams that started on Monday, and last for seven days. To alleviate her students' fears, the teacher got creative.
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"Mrs. Langford at Evergreen Avenue prepared inspirational, growth-mindset messages for every one of her students," the Woodbury City Public Schools Facebook page wrote with a photo of Langford's motivational handiwork.
Each of the notes were written with dry-erase markers and personalized for each pupil and accessorized with donut holes.
"A lot of my kids were nervous that if they don't pass this test with good scores they won't go to the next grade. They feel a lot of anxiety about that," Langford told Philly.com. "I thought this would be a cute thing for them to walk into."
Langford also said she got the idea from a fellow teacher on Pinterest. She decided to connect the messages with the "growth mindset" learning strategy she has been using with her 19 students since January.
The series of desk photos have been shared more than 18,000 times since they were posted.
Most importantly, however, is the way Langford's students have reacted to the gesture.
"When I read the message, my fear went away," her student Julissa told Philly.com. "I knew I could actually do it."
[h/t Philly.com]
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