Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott's Uncle came to our school on Wednesday this week. He shared the story of Rachel's death and how it has affected countless lives. His main challenge was for the kids to be a part of the chain reaction; the chain reaction of kindness, for kindness is much more effective than bullying. Although I wasn't able to attend the actual convocation, I heard numerous positive remarks about the morning and saw a group of hard kids "get it." I didn't want the moment to pass:

"I'm not going to lie, Ms. S. I cried" (said by a kid who doesn't believe in emotion).

"It was really sad" (said by a kid who believes that real men don't cry).

"How did she know she was going to die?"

"She stood up for so many people, Ms. S" (said by a kid who picks on others).

"I thought of someone I knew that had died and it was really sad" (said a student who recently lost a loved one).

"Ms. S, do you remember it happening?"

"They told us to tell our parents we love 'em because you don't know which day will be your last."

"It's important to be kind, isn't it, Ms. S?"

These statements turned into full fledged conversations and for a full day my classroom transformed into a skate park, a restaurant, or a nearby park--places where these kids could share their hearts and be heard. To say it was powerful is quite the understatement.

For more information on Rachel's life or her ongoing ministry, check out:
http://www.rachelschallenge.org/