Reach out to the family. “I find a way to communicate with the parents and let them know I understand their situation, but I also explain how important it is that we help their child. Sometimes I talk to older siblings and ask them for help, and in the classroom I find someone to work with them as well.”

Treat all students with respect. “Whether one comes from a middle class or upper class or poverty level, we are all the same in God’s eyes. Students also feel proud to be respected regardless of where they come from.”

Be careful what you say — even to other teachers. “About 10 years ago a teacher came into my second-grade class and said out loud to me, ‘What are you doing wearing those shoes? That is not what is in season right now!’ A student, a sweet little girl, came up to me afterward and said, ‘Mrs. Flores, what do I do?’ All I have are these shoes. My mom doesn’t have any money to buy me any more right now.’ I told her, ‘Sweetie, don’t worry, your shoes are just fine. You are very smart and a pair of shoes isn’t going to change that.’ Then I had a talk with the teacher. I told her, ‘I grew up with hand-me-downs, and some of our kids do too. I couldn’t say, hey, could you please make sure the color and material fits in with the season? Plus, a brand name, a style, or a pair of pants or shoes will not determine what I am going to do in life.’ … We must be very careful with what we say out loud around students. You may be surprised how much they are truly listening.”

Expect students to achieve. “Every morning, everyone on our campus says the South Eagle Pledge. It encourages students to respect each other, treat each other fairly, go to college one day and soar like eagles. I think it’s important to instill these thoughts in students’ minds.”

Help them celebrate. “I never had a birthday party as a child, so when my students have a birthday, I make sure to make that day special for them. My son’s teacher, Mrs. Paz, is amazing! She has her students all sign a special birthday card to give to the birthday person. Another teacher made a birthday party for a special little girl at the local skating rink. She bought the cake and everything for that child. I know we can’t afford to do that for everyone in our class, but this is why it is so important to truly get to know our students so we can know who needs extra empathy and love.”

Take them places, even if it’s just virtually. “I use the Internet and we travel to other countries, to beaches, oceans, and we see whales and dolphins. I try to bring the world to them if they can’t travel around the world. In town, I try to get students involved in activities that are free. I pass the information on to the parents.”

Don’t underestimate your influence. “I had all the odds against me. I came from a dysfunctional family, ADD, poverty, minority, LEP, ESL, you name it, I had it. But all it took was a few amazing teachers who encouraged me and told me I could be just like the wealthier kids who were going to go to college. One teacher encouraged me by helping me fill out the forms for college. We have to help kids believe it is possible for them to go on to higher education and show them the way.”

and DONATE HERE https://www.akshayapatra.org/onlinedonations !

Reach out to the family. “I find a way to communicate with the parents and let them know I understand their situation, but I also explain how important it is that we help their child. Sometimes I talk to older siblings and ask them for help, and in the classroom I find someone to work with them as well.”

Treat all students with respect. “Whether one comes from a middle class or upper class or poverty level, we are all the same in God’s eyes. Students also feel proud to be respected regardless of where they come from.”

Be careful what you say — even to other teachers. “About 10 years ago a teacher came into my second-grade class and said out loud to me, ‘What are you doing wearing those shoes? That is not what is in season right now!’ A student, a sweet little girl, came up to me afterward and said, ‘Mrs. Flores, what do I do?’ All I have are these shoes. My mom doesn’t have any money to buy me any more right now.’ I told her, ‘Sweetie, don’t worry, your shoes are just fine. You are very smart and a pair of shoes isn’t going to change that.’ Then I had a talk with the teacher. I told her, ‘I grew up with hand-me-downs, and some of our kids do too. I couldn’t say, hey, could you please make sure the color and material fits in with the season? Plus, a brand name, a style, or a pair of pants or shoes will not determine what I am going to do in life.’ … We must be very careful with what we say out loud around students. You may be surprised how much they are truly listening.”

Expect students to achieve. “Every morning, everyone on our campus says the South Eagle Pledge. It encourages students to respect each other, treat each other fairly, go to college one day and soar like eagles. I think it’s important to instill these thoughts in students’ minds.”

Help them celebrate. “I never had a birthday party as a child, so when my students have a birthday, I make sure to make that day special for them. My son’s teacher, Mrs. Paz, is amazing! She has her students all sign a special birthday card to give to the birthday person. Another teacher made a birthday party for a special little girl at the local skating rink. She bought the cake and everything for that child. I know we can’t afford to do that for everyone in our class, but this is why it is so important to truly get to know our students so we can know who needs extra empathy and love.”

Take them places, even if it’s just virtually. “I use the Internet and we travel to other countries, to beaches, oceans, and we see whales and dolphins. I try to bring the world to them if they can’t travel around the world. In town, I try to get students involved in activities that are free. I pass the information on to the parents.”

Don’t underestimate your influence. “I had all the odds against me. I came from a dysfunctional family, ADD, poverty, minority, LEP, ESL, you name it, I had it. But all it took was a few amazing teachers who encouraged me and told me I could be just like the wealthier kids who were going to go to college. One teacher encouraged me by helping me fill out the forms for college. We have to help kids believe it is possible for them to go on to higher education and show them the way.”

And DONATE through our website.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.