I WISH MY...KNEW

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." - Albert Schweitzer

Here are a few heart wrenching notes Kyle Schwartz, a 3rd grade teacher at Doull Elementary School in Denver, CO, received from her students. The notes were in response to an assignment she designed in order to better know her students and their needs. The assignment was simple:
Complete this thought--I wish my teacher knew...
"I wish my teacher knew I don’t have a friend to play with me."
"I wish my teach knew I don’t have pencils at home to do my homework.
"I wish my teacher knew sometimes my reading log is not signed because my mom is not around a lot."

We all can help out, in our own little way. Kyle says, "After one student shared that she had no one to play with at recess, the rest of the class chimed in and said, 'we got your back.' The next day during recess, I noticed she was playing with a group of girls. Not only can I support my
students, but my students can support each other."

Fill in the blanks, who would you wish knew what you're battling with? How much better would life be for you, if someone only knew what you were going through? Now, how about making others feel better by being there for them. Every Sunday, church is filled with people struggling silently with life’s challenges and hiding behind their good clothes, fancy cars and expensive perfumes (and even our colleagues at work) - perhaps from fear of judgment, or fear that no one would really care anyway. Be friendly!