Guest Blog by Tyler Kulp
7th Grade Teacher, Corriher-Lipe Middle School
Rowan-Salisbury Schools
Teachers impact students’ lives on a daily basis. In this story, though, it was two middle school girls who impacted another student’s life.
We had a 7th grade girl who was a pleasant, quiet student. She did her work and maintained an average GPA throughout the first quarter. She had a few friends, but teachers and students considered her a loner. Teachers thought she was one of those who might “slip through the cracks.”
One day she came to school looking like she hadn’t slept the night before. That week she was like a different student. She did no homework. She started acting out in class. We saw a dramatic change in her, so several teachers referred her to the counselor.
Later in the week two girls asked me if something was wrong with this student. They decided they should reach out to her in friendship. Over the next few weeks, these girls included her in their circle of friends.
This helped her a lot and she got back on track. Her grades improved, and she started participating in class. In the spring, she made the track and field team.
In hindsight, I can see that these two girls changed the other girl’s life for the better. They understood that something could be wrong, and they showed courage and generosity by reaching out to her. They have maintained the friendship, which continues to help this student with her social life and academic skills.
We teachers later found out that the girls’ family was going through turmoil the week that her behavior changed. It was an amazing act of understanding and imagination, as well as courage, for these two 7th grade girls to befriend and help her in this transition.
