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The Humanity of Teaching | Matthew Sipes | TEDxKids@SMU


[Applause]
I’ve come to the frightening conclusion
that I am the most decisive element in
the classroom that it is my daily mood
that makes the weather as a teacher I
possess the tremendous power to make a
child’s life miserable or joyous I can
be a tool of torture or an instrument of
inspiration I can humiliate or humor
hurt or heal in all situations it is my
response that determines whether a
crisis is escalated or de-escalated and
whether a child humanized or dehumanized
these are words written in a book titled
teacher and child written by time he got
in 1972 and they highlight the beautiful
picture of the power of a teacher to
inspire young children in classrooms
today if I were to ask all of you to
think of your favorite teacher perhaps a
teacher that has made a difference in
your life I suspect each of you would
think of similar things similar traits
like perhaps your teacher was fun or
filled the classroom with laughter you
know the kind that makes you cry and
your belly here at all at the same time
maybe you think of a teacher who’s
inspired you or believed in you even
when no one else would because sometimes
as teachers we have to believe in you
until your own belief can set in maybe
you thought of a teacher who provided
you with a sense of belonging when no
one else would you know the belonging
that’s not conditional on things like
how smart you are what you look like but
the belonging that gives you a sense of
worthiness because you are more than
enough as you are at the heart of such
belonging lies empathy empathy is the
ability to share an experience in
another person’s feeling
if you were to ask me to think of a
teacher who’s made a difference in my
life I would think of several amazing
people who’ve taught me throughout my
life but I would also think of Ronald a
young man about your age who taught me
about empathy and the power of belonging
in fact I remember the moment like it
was yesterday I was in college working
at a summer camp for children across the
country and as I said Ronald was in
middle school at the time and he was one
of my first campers Ronald and I did not
get off to a great start
in fact we struggled to connect and I
began thinking it was going to be the
longest week of my life and then a
breakthrough moment happened one day we
were struggling to connect and he looks
at me and he’s just crying tears
streaming down his face and he says you
you don’t know what I go through you
don’t know what it’s like to be me he
it was it was so difficult because in
that moment I realized that my words and
actions had done more to judge him and
hurt him than to lift him up you see
Ronald had experienced several traumatic
events as a young child and was
desperately looking for a place to
belong the rest of our week went very
well we developed a friendship and a
bond that still impacts me today
obviously and I remember sitting on a
bench next to Ronald as he was getting
ready to board his bus to go back home
and I could not find any words that were
adequate to thank him for what he had
done for me we sat next to each other in
silence both of us crying and I remember
hoping and wishing that he had learned
half as much from me as what I had
learned from him Bryan Stevenson once
said I didn’t because I don’t do what I
do because I’m certified I do what I do
because I am broken too
this is why I am a teacher this is why
I’m so passionate about the teaching
profession the what other profession
allows us to inspire and be inspired all
at the same time this connection this
relationship between teacher and student
is so powerful that it remains the
single most important factor in our
schools today without it
students would struggle with a sense
without a sense of belonging and it is
our job as teachers to inspire and give
hope you know there are no doubt amazing
teachers all across the country and in
your schools today but yet sadly there’s
a national study that says 50% half of
secondary students half of students in
grades 6 through 12 don’t have a trusted
adult to turn to on campus so at a time
when you
as a young adult a young child are
longing for significance and trying to
find your place in this world sense of
self-confidence half of you don’t have
anyone to turn to on campus this
isolation this feeling of
disconnectedness this brokenness if you
will I think is beautifully captured in
the song this is me out of the greatest
showmen some of you by your reaction
love that song in the first verse it’s
written by Ben Jacek and Justin Paul and
it starts out and says I am NOT a
stranger to the dark hideaway for we
don’t want your broken parts I am and I
just went blank I am NOT a stranger to
the dark hideaway they say you’ll never
y’all helped me out but I won’t let you
break me down we don’t want so it’s so
we don’t I won’t let you break me down
to dust for there is a place for us for
we are glorious and see that’s the power
those last three lines is what I want to
focus on more than anything that a
teacher can look at a student and
champion a student in such a way that
but nothing will be broken down nothing
will break a student down to dust
there’s always a place students stand
among us they are part of us and they
belong to the adults in the room I want
to say that sitting before us is not
just our future but our present students
are not just leaders of tomorrow they
are to be valued for who they are today
may we know your stories may we know
your hopes may we know your ambitions
may we know your fears and may our
inspiration guide you to more than you
ever imagined you could be
to society as a whole I would encourage
us to stop putting down the teaching
profession and to lift it up
maybe always may we not sit idle when
one demeans our profession the very
profession that’s responsible for
inspiring our children today and to you
children I say this you are brave you
are
more than who you are but you are enough
all at the same time you are worthy you
are loved and as a teacher I am the most
decisive element in the classroom may we
always choose joy may we always choose
sunshine even in the darkest of storms
may we choose inspiration may we choose
laughter and healing and most
importantly may we always choose you
thank you [Applause]
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