C4T #3

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read Angela Maiers' Blog. Angela championed the idea "choose2matter", and has been inspiring people throughout the country.

The first post I read was entitled "Two Day I'll Never Forget", was posted on June 7, 2013. In this post Angela, discussed a presentation she gave at Downingtown S.T.E.M Academy. She say that when she arrived to the auditorium of Justin Staub's sophomore class, she found students scattered towards the back. She began her presentation by asking the students if they believed that they could change the world. She says that six of the 300 students believed this fact. She then explained that if she had asked that same question to a group of first graders the answer would be an unanimous "yes". She then told the student that they mattered and that they were geniuses. She also told them their contributions to the world were important. She says that after making these claims she began to see their demeanor change. She then read them some inspiring quotes and separated them into groups to begin their world changing projects. She said two hours later the students were already presenting their ideas. She said the students stayed up late working on their projects and were up early, eager to begin day two. She says that by the end of the second day the students had companies equipped with; names, logos, mission statements, websites and launch videos. They had also been connected with mentors who were experts in the areas they had chosen. She said that by the end of her two day presentation, the once two percent of students who believed they could change the world, had increased to 98 percent.

I started my comment by introducing myself. I told her that I felt that what she is doing is great. I also told her that I felt as though teachers have dropped the ball when it came to inspiring students. I said that it was nice to know that their are educators out there who want to do more than simply teach their students. I thanked her for her inspiration.

In the second post, "Sharing the Message of You Matter with the Bedley Bros" posted on July 1, 2013, Angela tells about a interview she had with Tim and Scott Bedley. She even posts the video onto her blog post. In the video she explains the importance of giving everyone, regardless of their age the opportunity to change the world. She says that educators should stop teaching to prepare students for college and career readiness, but instead prepare them for life ready skills. Even at young ages children are member of society and Angela feels that as an educator it is important to help children become better members of society. She says we should stop viewing them as children and start viewing them as contributing citizens. She gave examples, including the presentation she gave at Downingtown S.T.E.M Academy. The video was full of passion and enthusiasm for how to better educate and inspire children.