#IWishMyTeacherKnew: Twitter Campaign Reveals Students’ Struggles

#IWishMyTeacherKnew has gone viral on Twitter. Tweets from as far away as Australia are discussing the oblique writing assignment as a way for teachers to connect with their youngest pupils. Although some were heartbreaking, such as the one that explained why a student’s reading log isn’t always signed (because the child’s mom isn’t home a lot), others were hopeful, such as the one that declared that the child wanted to go to college. Teachers around the world are tweeting that they plan to use the plaintive words as a sentence starter and as a way to peek into the lives of their young charges.

The teacher who originally posted the tweets, Kyle Schwartz of Denver, has even appeared on the Today Show. For those who want to donate to teachers, she recommends DonorsChoose.org and selecting a class to donate to.

Below is a selection of responses to the hashtag.