Teacher Makes Students Address Themselves In A Mirror Before Class 'To Start Their Day Off Right'
They are required to say positive affirmations about themselves!
TikTok An Atlanta elementary school teacher has gone viral after showing off the positive way she gets her students ready for class.
In a TikTok video, Neffiteria Acker, who teaches fourth graders at Kindezi at Gideons Elementary School took it upon herself to make sure her students knew the importance of self-love.
Acker makes her students address themselves in the mirror before class 'to start off their day right.'
Acker's video, which has boasted over seven million views, shows the elementary school teacher making her students say positive affirmations in a mirror before they walk into her classroom at the beginning of the school day.
The students are filmed walking up to the mirror, which has stickers saying "I am," taped to the sides. They each have to say a positive affirmation about themselves while looking directly into the mirror.
"I am smart," one young student chants into the mirror before walking into the class, while another student walks up and says confidently, "I am a good person!"
Other affirmations said by the students included, "I am awesome. I am strong. I am a good sports player. I am strong and independent." Acker also makes sure to tell her students to say these affirmations loudly and with conviction.
Having young children recite positive affirmations has been proven to improve their self-esteem, according to Kindness Ripple Project.
Positive affirmations are very effective in nurturing emotional well-being in children. Affirming positive messages are like acts of kindness and love towards themselves that build self-esteem and self-belief which can stay with them throughout their life.
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Acker shared that she came up with the exercise after doing it with her own child.
In an interview with TODAY Parents, Acker revealed that the practice with her students came from the positive affirmations she does with her 5-year-old daughter.
"The idea came from a practice that I do with myself and my 5-year-old daughter," Acker told the publication.
"When we're on our way to school, I have her repeat affirmations to me, starting with, 'I am.' Usually, I just ask her to tell me something good about herself. She'll say, 'I'm a fast eater,' or, 'I'm a fast runner.' Then I'll add to it: 'You're also really brave. So why don't you say, "I'm brave."'
Acker noticed that the affirmations boosted her daughter's confidence, and decided to try it out with the students in her class.
The teacher who recorded the video, Cierra Levay Broadway, shared that she was visibly moved by the students performing the self-confidence exercise.
"It was a really great moment," Broadway said. "I really got chills when I saw the kids and heard what they were saying for their affirmations. For a lot of them, it was their first time ever doing that."
Both teachers agreed that having their young students learn to build confidence is an important step in their development.
"We teach in a pretty rough neighborhood in Atlanta, and a lot of those kids don't hear that at all," Broadway said. "They hear a lot of negativity about themselves. ... It's good to plant those seeds here."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics.