{"id":959,"date":"2019-03-14T14:52:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T18:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/sabbaghela\/?p=959"},"modified":"2019-03-14T14:52:09","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T18:52:09","slug":"you-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iblog.dearbornschools.org\/sabbaghela\/2019\/03\/14\/you-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"You Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"

~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~<\/p>\n

From the desk of Ms. Rumler, Social Worker:<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Anti<\/span>–Bullying<\/span>\u00a0Club<\/span>\u00a0and Active Minds have paired together for a joint project aimed at building community where all are seen, heard and loved.\u00a0 Our aim is to share visually what individuals feel makes them\u00a0matter<\/span>.<\/p>\n

~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~\u00a0~ ~<\/p>\n

When I was approached and asked to help my students participate in this endeavor, I had to pause.\u00a0 On the one hand, it should be obvious that everyone matters – because, well, everyone matters. On the other hand, was I able to articulate why I<\/strong><\/span> matter?\u00a0 And if I couldn’t put it into words, then how could I expect my students to?<\/p>\n

To help us out, I enlisted\u00a0Angela Maiers, an education and technology consultant, by sharing her TED Talk “You Matter<\/a>‘ with my students.<\/p>\n

Maiers said something that\u00a0really resonated with me.\u00a0 She shared, “People do not walk around with a sign that says, ‘Do I matter to you?’ They do not have a tattoo that says, ‘Let me know you see me. Let me know you value my presence. Let me know how I can help you because I want to. I want to give you what I have. I am just dying for you to ask me.’<\/p>\n

Here’s the thing – human beings are pretty basic people.\u00a0 For all the thingsmakes us “complicated” we have needs<\/a>, and aside from having BASIC needs\u00a0met, we have emotional and psychological needs\u00a0which need to be met as well.<\/p>\n

And when they are not, that’s when the breakdown occurs.<\/p>\n

Students spend a lot of time in school.\u00a0 Students spend a lot of time surrounded by people who have a significant impact on their lives – whether it be their classmates, their friends, their teachers, etc.<\/p>\n

Everyone NEEDS to feel like they matter – or else what would be the point? (I can only hope that I am successful in making my students feel like THEY matter.)<\/p>\n

Their thoughts, their hopes, their dreams, their fears…. it all matters.<\/p>\n

When trying to help my students and myself come up with our “I matter because…” statment, I asked them a simple question.\u00a0 I asked them – what is it that you offer the world, that no one else does?\u00a0 Why does it matter that YOU are here<\/strong><\/span>?<\/p>\n

Of course, with any thought-provoking question, the responses ran the gamut.<\/p>\n

Most students were able to share that they matter because:<\/p>\n