i wish my teacher knew that reporter: it all started inside this classroom in denver, colorado. i wish my teacher knew that my reading log is not signed because my mom is not around a lot. reporter: a third grade teacher and this assignment finish this sentence, i wish my teacher knew. i wish my teacher knew i don t have pencils to do my homework. reporter: that teacher, kyle schwartz wanted to know her students better, almost all of them under the poverty line. one writing i wish my teacher knew my parents or that i wanted to go to college. kids were share something like i wish my teacher knew that i want a friend to play with me. reporter: and then something unexpected. it was really beautiful to see another kid putting their arm around them or saying we got your back. reporter: that teacher then posting the messages on twitter. these notes are heartbreaking, and it s very commonplace in a school like this. and quite frankly, schools all over the country.
there s a way to do that though. we can say, look, here s what testing should look like. should take more than maybe two or three 2% or 3% of an entire year should be spent on testing. that evaluation is important. there is middle ground that s absolutely possible. yesterday michelle, i got a chance to speak with a denver teacher who started the hash tag, #-iwishmyteacherknew. let s look at that. there s one student who writes i wish my teacher knew sometimes my reading log is not signed because my mom is not around a lot. we ve used it as a way to build empathy with students. both building empathy for me to them but also with each other. how important is the home environment in a student s success? very important. research is very clear and shows that when parents are more involved in their child s education, then we get better outcomes.
wanted to tell her, and these kids responses are so candid. teachable moments all over this thing. one response was i wish my teacher knew i do have friends to play with, or my reading log is not signed a lot because my mom is not around a lot. let s talk to the woman behind t the question. thank you so much for the project and for talking to us, and you are calling it a reality check, and i am calling it a wake-up call. what is your thought? absolutely. this has been eye opening. i really have been able to understand my students more and understand where they are coming everyday when they come to school. i was reading demographics about this, and i think a lot of
we wanted a way to give our students a voice and let them tell us what we needed to know. some of the letters you ve received are quite emotional. there s one student who writes this, i wish my teacher knew sometimes my reading log is not signed because my mom is not around a lot. there s another child that says i wish my teacher knew i don t have a friend to play with me. so that s got to tug at your heartstrings when you get letters like this. what do you do with them? absolutely. you know i have just really been touched by the honesty that my students have shared and the vulnerability they shared in this, but what we ve done with it in my classroom is really use it as a way to build empathy with my students, both building empathy for me to them, but also with each other. you know the students have really supported each other with the note that said i don t have a friend to play with that was shared with the class and the whole class rallied around her and the next day at recess
hit by an interest hike. let s all go outfront. i m erin burnett. outfront, count down to another downgrade of america? the super committee held a rare public hearing today. they re the group of 12 charged with cutting the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. if they don t do it, we can end up on a rate to higher interest rates and a lower standard of living. here are the dates we need to watch. november 1st, cbo says the super committee must submit their plan for review. that is five days from now. november 23rd, that is the deadline for the final submission. and then december 23rd, the final deadline when congress must up or down vote that plan. the committee must come to an agreement, and congress has to pass it or automatic across the board cuts will be made, half of them coming from our defense budget. the problem is those cuts don t come until 2013. they are too small to prevent more downgrades. yes, thanks to congress, america s economic standing in the world is on