my name is Karina you know me you know
me as a student you know me as a friend
and in a blink of an eye I make a
decision I choose will I get up in the
morning or well I reach over and hit my
alarm to hit snooze I choose to go to
school
well I choose to go left or will I
choose to go right well I choose the
path of negativity or well I choose the
path of my friends my students my peers
well I choose to be engaged in class
well I choose to spend my whole time
being on fortnight well I choose to be
myself I choose to be an original well I
choose to use my voice well I choose to
be someone different and the simple
question is will I choose to learn as a
leader I know for a fact and the adults
in the room know for a fact if Karina if
Mohammed if the students in this room do
not choose to go to school they do not
choose to tune in if they do not choose
to learn they’ll never be themselves
they’ll never be able to find themselves
and I’ll never be able to get on a
pathway of success so what do we do how
do educators change the ideas of
students how do I allow students to
understand I’m here for you how do I
allow students to know I’m never gonna
leave how do I make sure students know
that I don’t see you as a test score and
I don’t see you as a dollar sign and how
do I allow students to understand I’m
more than just an authority figure the
answer is simple but adults run away
from the answer due to fear students
don’t know how to get to this answer due
to fear the answers relationships we
have to build relationships with each
other teachers you have to be
comfortable with your students you have
to hear them you have to know
students you have to know that teachers
aren’t there just to get you in trouble
and then they want to get to know you
and everything about you because when we
look at it the biggest thing that we can
do is build a strong relationship
because you know me you know who I am
but sometimes I think you don’t realize
Who I am do you know just because I’m a
big man everybody says hey you have to
be bold and strong but I’m actually very
shy did you know that I allow others to
make fun of me just so I can fit in just
so I can have friends did you know that
before every test I get anxiety I get
scared I get concerned of what people
are gonna say did you know my laughter
hides my sadness did you know my
father’s deployed for months at a time
and I have no family structure at home
and did you know I worry about what
people think of me how people are gonna
relationships are key relationships are
on the foundation of any partnership to
be successful it includes trust it
includes hope it cludes accountability
and sustainability where student knows
they can walk into the door and say that
individuals here for me that that
individual wants to hear what I have to
say so what do we do what do we do as
educators what do we do as students how
do we make a difference how can we make
this the tool that was never taught the
front page of every educators handbook
we have to push ourselves we have to be
ourselves we have to allow people to be
in a study conducted at Harvard stated
that every successful person claimed
they had one care and adult in their
life are you that caring adult are you
that person that student says thank you
every day too because the data also
shows that only 52% of our teachers know
our students names and the sad fact is
the student-teacher relationship
decreases more if you ask does your
teacher know how to pronounce your
correctly I know this from experience my
name is Dominique but because I’m a man
majority of people automatically shift
my name to Dominic and now in this
virtual world right internet and things
like that email for some reason I
automatically shift to a female right
Dominic’s a girl’s name I get emails all
the time dear Miss Smith will you
present at our school no right because
they don’t know me they don’t know who I
am and I can’t be somewhere if you don’t
know the person standing across from me
how do we build a relationship with
someone if I don’t know your name how
many people in this room has had their
name said wrong how many people in this
room has had to look at someone and say
go ahead call me that that’s close
enough how many of you realized the
person standing in front of you talking
to you had no idea who you truly were so
adults are you that 52% do you know your
students name already on the other side
and we have to do a little fixing for
next year when I look at the data to
that also states that only 42 percent of
our students believe that students
respect the adults in the room now is
that a success story I’m a leader 42
percent of my students respected me I
kind of like that
I wish the number was a little bit
higher right but students where are you
at are you that 42 percent that respects
the adults in front of you that says
thank you that says hello that says do
you make a difference in my life or are
you the ones checked out treat him
differently treat him less than you it
doesn’t sit well with me and I shouldn’t
sit well with anybody in this room
another shocking fact to me is only 43%
of students believe adults listen to
them students you have a voice I hear
you we hear you and I want every adult
to hear you in this room please use your
voice adults listen to our students
voice hear them hear what they have to
say and take that and make impact and
change and the sad fact to me it’s only
40 percent of our students believe that
they’re valued within the schools
but then I question what does value
truly mean am i valued do you value my
talk do you value your time here it
could be all my perception but the
perception can be reality so what do we
do what do we what do we do right now to
make change what can I do as a leader
what can you do as a student what can
you do as an adult we talked this
morning we think about it and I asked a
lot of questions to get our minds
thinking where are you at where are you
gonna be how can you make change and I
have three simple things for every adult
right now to make a change know every
student’s name that comes into your room
pronounce them correctly say hello how
are you and get to know that student
then reach out of your classroom and
find the students that are walking by
get to know their name say hello how are
you let me learn something about you at
the same time I’m asking you to take
your instructional minutes your lunch
minutes and your after-school minutes to
build a connection with the individual
across from you to go and venture out
and to get to know your students the
best communication the best
relationships I have ever built ordering
lunch students tell me everything
sometimes too much but thank you but
that’s how we build connections we have
to step out there we have to be there
with our students in the last pieces you
have to be a mentor right now I have 15
students that I mentor around my campus
they were given to me if I wouldn’t have
got these students I would have never
known them I would never heard their
story they would have just gone by with
no adults saying hello every other adult
on my campus has a group of mentees as
well so every student in our school
knows that there’s an adult waiting for
them that they’re here for them and that
they can talk to them because when we do
that when we build relationships we
won’t be scared of laughing with
students we won’t be scared to give a
handshake at this pump a side hug I know
the front hug freaks them adult us with
a side hug right we can start to get art
now our students we can make in a true
impact in their lives
so remember what I am Muhammad I am
Karina
I’m all of you right now there’s
students in this room and I know when
you make an impact when the teachers
there for that student they wake up
every morning excited to go to school
they realize no matter what’s happening
in their life they’re gonna wake up and
walk into that door because they have an
adult that cares for them that can talk
to them they can point them in the right
direction
a student with a positive relation for
the teacher is excited about who they
can be they don’t they don’t hide they
share who they are they share their
differences they be themselves they get
excited about learning and they get
excited about learning from the adult in
front of them because they respect them
when you have a positive relationship
you know you can find the world and be
the world and as that’s a 15 year olds
mind and a thought process for them I
know for an adult every day I say thank
you to my mentors and my teachers for
helping me get to the spot where I am
today
thank you [Applause]
me as a student you know me as a friend
and in a blink of an eye I make a
decision I choose will I get up in the
morning or well I reach over and hit my
alarm to hit snooze I choose to go to
school
well I choose to go left or will I
choose to go right well I choose the
path of negativity or well I choose the
path of my friends my students my peers
well I choose to be engaged in class
well I choose to spend my whole time
being on fortnight well I choose to be
myself I choose to be an original well I
choose to use my voice well I choose to
be someone different and the simple
question is will I choose to learn as a
leader I know for a fact and the adults
in the room know for a fact if Karina if
Mohammed if the students in this room do
not choose to go to school they do not
choose to tune in if they do not choose
to learn they’ll never be themselves
they’ll never be able to find themselves
and I’ll never be able to get on a
pathway of success so what do we do how
do educators change the ideas of
students how do I allow students to
understand I’m here for you how do I
allow students to know I’m never gonna
leave how do I make sure students know
that I don’t see you as a test score and
I don’t see you as a dollar sign and how
do I allow students to understand I’m
more than just an authority figure the
answer is simple but adults run away
from the answer due to fear students
don’t know how to get to this answer due
to fear the answers relationships we
have to build relationships with each
other teachers you have to be
comfortable with your students you have
to hear them you have to know
students you have to know that teachers
aren’t there just to get you in trouble
and then they want to get to know you
and everything about you because when we
look at it the biggest thing that we can
do is build a strong relationship
because you know me you know who I am
but sometimes I think you don’t realize
Who I am do you know just because I’m a
big man everybody says hey you have to
be bold and strong but I’m actually very
shy did you know that I allow others to
make fun of me just so I can fit in just
so I can have friends did you know that
before every test I get anxiety I get
scared I get concerned of what people
are gonna say did you know my laughter
hides my sadness did you know my
father’s deployed for months at a time
and I have no family structure at home
and did you know I worry about what
people think of me how people are gonna
relationships are key relationships are
on the foundation of any partnership to
be successful it includes trust it
includes hope it cludes accountability
and sustainability where student knows
they can walk into the door and say that
individuals here for me that that
individual wants to hear what I have to
say so what do we do what do we do as
educators what do we do as students how
do we make a difference how can we make
this the tool that was never taught the
front page of every educators handbook
we have to push ourselves we have to be
ourselves we have to allow people to be
in a study conducted at Harvard stated
that every successful person claimed
they had one care and adult in their
life are you that caring adult are you
that person that student says thank you
every day too because the data also
shows that only 52% of our teachers know
our students names and the sad fact is
the student-teacher relationship
decreases more if you ask does your
teacher know how to pronounce your
correctly I know this from experience my
name is Dominique but because I’m a man
majority of people automatically shift
my name to Dominic and now in this
virtual world right internet and things
like that email for some reason I
automatically shift to a female right
Dominic’s a girl’s name I get emails all
the time dear Miss Smith will you
present at our school no right because
they don’t know me they don’t know who I
am and I can’t be somewhere if you don’t
know the person standing across from me
how do we build a relationship with
someone if I don’t know your name how
many people in this room has had their
name said wrong how many people in this
room has had to look at someone and say
go ahead call me that that’s close
enough how many of you realized the
person standing in front of you talking
to you had no idea who you truly were so
adults are you that 52% do you know your
students name already on the other side
and we have to do a little fixing for
next year when I look at the data to
that also states that only 42 percent of
our students believe that students
respect the adults in the room now is
that a success story I’m a leader 42
percent of my students respected me I
kind of like that
I wish the number was a little bit
higher right but students where are you
at are you that 42 percent that respects
the adults in front of you that says
thank you that says hello that says do
you make a difference in my life or are
you the ones checked out treat him
differently treat him less than you it
doesn’t sit well with me and I shouldn’t
sit well with anybody in this room
another shocking fact to me is only 43%
of students believe adults listen to
them students you have a voice I hear
you we hear you and I want every adult
to hear you in this room please use your
voice adults listen to our students
voice hear them hear what they have to
say and take that and make impact and
change and the sad fact to me it’s only
40 percent of our students believe that
they’re valued within the schools
but then I question what does value
truly mean am i valued do you value my
talk do you value your time here it
could be all my perception but the
perception can be reality so what do we
do what do we what do we do right now to
make change what can I do as a leader
what can you do as a student what can
you do as an adult we talked this
morning we think about it and I asked a
lot of questions to get our minds
thinking where are you at where are you
gonna be how can you make change and I
have three simple things for every adult
right now to make a change know every
student’s name that comes into your room
pronounce them correctly say hello how
are you and get to know that student
then reach out of your classroom and
find the students that are walking by
get to know their name say hello how are
you let me learn something about you at
the same time I’m asking you to take
your instructional minutes your lunch
minutes and your after-school minutes to
build a connection with the individual
across from you to go and venture out
and to get to know your students the
best communication the best
relationships I have ever built ordering
lunch students tell me everything
sometimes too much but thank you but
that’s how we build connections we have
to step out there we have to be there
with our students in the last pieces you
have to be a mentor right now I have 15
students that I mentor around my campus
they were given to me if I wouldn’t have
got these students I would have never
known them I would never heard their
story they would have just gone by with
no adults saying hello every other adult
on my campus has a group of mentees as
well so every student in our school
knows that there’s an adult waiting for
them that they’re here for them and that
they can talk to them because when we do
that when we build relationships we
won’t be scared of laughing with
students we won’t be scared to give a
handshake at this pump a side hug I know
the front hug freaks them adult us with
a side hug right we can start to get art
now our students we can make in a true
impact in their lives
so remember what I am Muhammad I am
Karina
I’m all of you right now there’s
students in this room and I know when
you make an impact when the teachers
there for that student they wake up
every morning excited to go to school
they realize no matter what’s happening
in their life they’re gonna wake up and
walk into that door because they have an
adult that cares for them that can talk
to them they can point them in the right
direction
a student with a positive relation for
the teacher is excited about who they
can be they don’t they don’t hide they
share who they are they share their
differences they be themselves they get
excited about learning and they get
excited about learning from the adult in
front of them because they respect them
when you have a positive relationship
you know you can find the world and be
the world and as that’s a 15 year olds
mind and a thought process for them I
know for an adult every day I say thank
you to my mentors and my teachers for
helping me get to the spot where I am
today
thank you [Applause]
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