How Principals and Teachers Can Spread Hope Throughout Our Schools

On our first visit to the Kansas high school, a sea of smiling faces greeted us. The assistant principals, secretaries, and students were excited to have the "hope team" at their school. We got a great tour, saw some beautiful student art, and met dozens of teachers who made us feel welcome. The team was there to work with 120 freshmen who were part of an academy, a school within a school, led by four teachers. Three of those teachers had a "let me know how I can help" attitude. The fourth teacher, Mr. C, let us know that he wasn't very interested in us being there. How did we figure that out? Well, it was easy. Mr. C. said to my team, "I am not very interested in you being here." He shared his sentiment with his students, so some of the freshmen were somewhat less cooperative than their buddies in the other three rooms.