Teachers Share
I was assigned the Reaqding and Conversation class over the summer term. In El Salvador most people don't have the habit of reading and it is always our challenge to promote reading and create the habit. I was supposed to find a book that would get my students interested in reading. I had read the book "The five people you meet in heaven" before and had an impact on me, so I thought it would be a great idea to share it with my students. My students are learners of English (EFL) so I thought the language and the topic were appropriate. My students are really happy about the book I chose and I had the comment of one of them that said "I can't put the book down, I need to know what's going to happen next". Now we are planning to read the other books from Mitch in the class. We are hoping that we can receive the books on time.
—Universidad Francisco Gavidia, San Salvador,
I read For one more day over the summer. I enjoyed it greatly. As a literature teacher I am always trying to get my students excited about reading. I have tried many things. I have enticed many but never all. One day I heard screaming in the hallway. I opened my door to correct the student when I discoved he was yelling at his mother. I was so embarrased for his mother and very disapointed in his disrespect. Not wanting to over step my bounderies, i simply asked them to move their conversation outside and made up my mind right then to make For One More Day the next required reading. I made all 40 of my students purchase it. I gave them a journal that gave them daily reading assignments that covered about a 20 day span. To make a long story short...something happened today that has never happened in all my years of teaching. The bell rang and no one moved...they were not asleep, they were all alive....they couldn't stop READING!!! The other teachers are angry because they are reading during their classes. Parents are calling asking me what in the world has happened because thier teenage boy stayed up late READING!! The 20 day span was a joke...most finished in 3 days, some in only one night. Bless you! You have cast a spell in our little private school in Summerton, SC. I would love my students to hear from you or feel connected in some way to you. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you and keep it up!
—Clarendon Hall School, Summerton, SC
As fourth and fifth grade teachers we wanted to coordinate a community project with Mitch Albom's organization, A Time to Help, to teach our students about the importance of helping others. We created an intergeneration project to support our local senior center. This was a great experience for our students to be involved in. Students assembled emergency meals, made Valentine's day cards with seniors and even delivered to senior citizens in our community. Mitch delivered a message of the importance of community service and making the world a better place. The feedback from our students was one of great reward and accomplishment. They were surprised to see how much their work meant to others. Students commented that they would like to continue volunteering in their daily lives. One student commented on how they were so happy to see how much the seniors enjoyed seeing them when they delivered these items to their home. A home bound senior was so appreciative that she wanted to keep this memory and took a picture with the students that delivered to her. Another student commented, "I am so inspired to help others. I was also surprised to see how nice and pretty the seniors were. I can't wait to help again." This experience for our students was one that inspired and educated to be active participants in their community. Great job Haviland!
Kathryn Young, Dawn Sanford, Samantha Knox, and Rebecca Briggs- 4th and 5th grade Teachers, Haviland Elementary School, Waterford, MI
—Haviland Elementary School, Waterford, MI
In our Communication Strategies course we were looking for a public speaking assignment to assess our students and I came across Mitch Albom's "For One More Day" article in Parade Magazine. After reading the article and then the book, I talked to my colleagues about focusing on an assignment for our students to speak publicly about their own wishes if they could have one more day with someone. To open up the assignment, my coteacher and I presented our own wishes to the class. Our presentations allowed the students to see a very "human" side of us, full of raw emotion and great a appreciation for life. It also gave them ideas for what they could do for their own speeches. We had them analyze how well we displayed the top ten public speaking tips and discussed what could have made the presentation even better. This assignment allowed our students to showcase hidden emotions and exhibit sensitivity that only caring citizens possess. We had students crying, hugging, and empathizing with one another. It was a magical moment for the class and one we hope to continue in the future.
—Hatboro-Horsham High School, Horsham, PA
The medical careers students are going to be competting at the HOSA regional coference Jan 30th at Macomb Community College and we are looking to see if Mitch would be a guest speaker we would also like to help raise donations for his clinic can you please get this message to Mr. Albom my contact info is jbrusca@lsps.org
—Lake Shore High School, St Clair Shores, MI
Dear Treasured Educators
I want to thank you for all you do for our young students. As you may know, I was lucky enough to share a special relationship with a wonderful teacher, Morrie Schwartz, and it literally changed my life. Thanks to educators like you, future generations will have their lives shaped and changed. And I am honored that in doing so, some of you are sharing the lessons of my old professor as well.
As I've travelled across the country, I've been delighted to learn of the many high schools, junior high schools, religious schools and universities that are using my books as teaching tools. I'm incredibly flattered and humbled by this and I encourage you to write about your experiences with my books in the classroom by submitting to the Teachers Share section. I love receiving mail from classes like yours, and knowing that my old teacher is still, in his way, teaching; this website section is just a small way I can share these wonderful stories with the world.
Warm regards,
Mitch Albom
