C4T #1

Post #1: Angela Maiera's blog post the Best Ways to Let People Know They Matter was a pleasure to read. I like her Choose2Matter call of action. I believe whether your students are young or old, everyone needs to know that they matter. Especially with younger children, I believe this action of letting people know they matter should be enforced. Young children need to be encouraged and let known that they are special and matter because they are still growing up and developing. It is extra important to enforce that to them at a young age, so they have good self worth and value when they are older. I like the steps that she shared to follow: " You See Them, You Listen Earnestly, You Ask Meaningful Questions, You Believe They Can, You Dwell in Possibility, You Celebrate Them, You Do Small Things With Great Love, You Show Up, and You Choose2Matter ." All of these, I agree, will help someone know they matter. They provide the person with attention and respect to let them know you are interested in their life and they matter. 

My comment: Hello, my name is Brittany Allemand. I am a student at the university of South Alabama, and I'm in the class EDM 310. I have been assigned your blog, and I hope you will visit mine and let me know your opinions on my posts. I enjoyed this post and I agree with the points that you posted that let people know they matter. Being an elementary teacher, I believe that letting the children know they matter is extremely important. Your post was great and helpful, thanks!

                                                         

Post #2: Angela Maiera's most recent blog post " Two Days I'll Never Forget" was such an inspiring blog post. The post had me wanting to read more. The post was about her enforcing her Choose2Matter program with a group of sophomores at S.T.E.M academy. She told about how she asked the students how many thought they could change the world. The results were shocking. Only six out of three hundred students thought they could change the world. She then showed how she used the steps she discussed in the earlier post about how to let people know they matter, and she said the children started to sit up and listen to the speech after she told them they were geniuses and the world needed their contributions. After words of encouragement, the students began to form groups for suicide prevention, cancer patients, animal abuse, and other important issues in the world. After just one day they began tweeting inspirational quotes and trying to make a difference in the world. It was shocking how much just words of encouragement and letting them know they were needed and mattered lit the fire inside them and changed their view. On the last day she was at the school, they then asked the students again if they could change the world, and almost every student in the room stood. I really enjoyed her blog,and it made me a believer of just how much a simple "You matter" can mean to a student.


My Comment: Wow. This is a very inspiring blog post. I am the student from South Alabama that was assigned to your blog, and I am very thankful to be able to read such a great post. I would love to incorporate this program into my school whenever I am a future teacher. Glad we have someone out there that wants to incorporate such a positive program into the schools.

   **   Visit her blog!