After a long day of teaching, Kyle found a crumpled up piece of paper in her kitchen. As she unfolded the paper, she realized it was a note a student had written to her and she had saved. It said, “I wish my teacher knew I don’t have pencils at home to do my homework.”

 

That note was written in response to a lesson Kyle had been doing in her classroom since her very first year of teaching, but she had never told anyone about it. This time she saw something worth sharing. She posted the note on Twitter -- an account she had been encouraged to start at a teaching conference just weeks before. Kyle wanted to encourage teachers to ask their students the same beautifully simple question, “What do you wish your teacher knew?”

 

The rest of the story was a whirlwind. Teachers started sharing, a journalist wrote a blog, and news trucks showed up at Kyle’s school. Students all over the world have been invited to share their wishes, hopes, and realities. Their strength and vulnerability have taught the world about the importance of listening to children.