Hello Students!

Welcome to middle school Social Studies! My name is Miss Heather Hillman, and I am so

excited to be a part of your journey this year. Middle school is an exciting time, but it can also be

scary. There are lots of changes taking place, and that can make things feel tough or uncertain.

However, I am here to be something that won’t change: my classroom will always be here as a safe

place where you can come to feel encouraged, accepted, motivated, and challenged to do your best.

We are going to study so many fascinating things about history and the world around us. We are

going to analyze documents, watch videos, work in groups, explore different points of view, and

create amazing projects. However, no matter what we are learning, there are two main values that I

live by which will drive our classroom every day: kindness and empathy.

Lead with Kindness

First, when we are in our classroom we will all treat each other with kindness. I can look back

on my own middle school experience and understand how important this expectation is. I started 6th

grade at Chippewa Middle School as the new kid. I had gone to an elementary school in another

district, so when I showed up on the first day I didn’t know anyone. I was so nervous that I was

literally hyperventilating in the front seat of my mom’s minivan as we pulled up to the school. The first

day was a half-day and that went okay; no one really talked to me but everyone seemed nice. On the

second day of school we had lunch for the first time. I nervously walked into the lunchroom with my

purple lunchbox and scanned the room for what looked like a nice group of girls that I could sit with. I

finally found a group that I thought looked nice, mustered up all the bravery I could, and said “Hi,

could I sit with you?” The girls sitting there all looked up, and then a girl with blonde hair coldly

answered, “No”.

I was so crushed. I felt the tears welling in my eyes, and quickly walked away. I found a

relatively empty table to sit at, and ate my lunch that day feeling like someone that didn’t belong.
Later that day during art class, I was teased for having an art box. As school work started to get

assigned, I got teased for being too smart, for raising my hand, and for being a teacher's pet. I was

also scared of a lot of my teachers. I remember that one of my teachers was nice, but three of them

seemed so mean. They yelled at the class, and one day the gym teacher yelled at me in front of

everyone because I couldn’t do an exercise without stopping . I felt like no one at the school liked me,

and my first few weeks of middle school were some of the most lonely of my life.

As my time in middle school went on, things got better. I started to meet friends that were just

like me, and had a group to hangout with. I’m actually still best friends with four of those girls, and one

was even a bridesmaid in my wedding. In the next fews years I had nicer teachers, and felt more

comfortable being at school. I started to feel more understood, more known, and like I belonged.

Students, I am now almost 30-years-old, and a lot of memories about middle school have

faded. I don’t remember every assignment I got, or every mean comment or inside joke. A lot of your

specific memories from middle school may one day be forgotten, but one thing that you will always

remember is how someone made you feel. Were they kind most of the time, or mean most of the

time? In the same way, this is how all of your classmates will remember YOU! Not as cool or nerdy,

but definitely as kind or mean. We all come to school each day hoping for something good to happen

- we all want to feel happy, accepted, and like we belong. In our classroom, I promise you that being

kind to each other will remain the number one priority. We won’t always be perfect at this. I know I

have had bad days where I lost my patience or said something I didn’t mean. When we make

mistakes we will address it, learn from it, apologize for it if we need to, and then we will try to do

better next time, always striving to approach any situation with kindness.

Live with Empathy

the world, and each other with empathy. Empathy means understanding a person's experiences and

feelings, and then being able to share those feelings. As we learn about Social Studies, we’ll explore

the world and history through multiple and multi-cultural perspectives. In order to live a truly

empathetic life, we must understand the struggles of others: both in the present and the past.

Empathy is understanding people’s stories, and history is nothing more than learning about stories

from the past. All of these stories, good or bad, will teach us something about ourselves and how to

treat others.

An experience that’s part of my own story and taught me the importance of empathy began

one morning when a student came into my classroom looking less than prepared. He was wearing a

hat, which was against the dress code, he didn’t have any materials, and when he sat down at his

seat he immediately put his head down and closed his eyes. I initially felt very annoyed. Why even

come to school if you were just going to sleep? To me, it seemed so disrespectful. My initial instinct

was to yell, but deep down I knew that wouldn’t help. Instead, I took a deep breath, and decided to

address the situation calmly and to hear him out first.

Boy, was I glad I did. After some gentle questioning, this student confessed that he hadn’t

been sleeping. His mom just found out she had cancer, and he was terrified. He wanted to wear a hat

because he had pulled out some of his hair from all the stress and he was embarrassed about how it

looked. I was shocked - I had no idea this major event was happening to him. Of course he was tired

and distracted! I would be too if this was happening to my mom. Now that I knew his story, I was able

to get him and his family help during that difficult time.

I think a lot about how different my relationship with this student could have been if I had gone

with my initial judgment and thought - he’s lazy, he doesn’t respect the rules, or he doesn’t care.

These judgments took no effort, and if I hadn’t taken time to talk to him they may have never

changed. Instead, I got to know his story, learned the truth, and we keep in touch to this day. This is
empathy - learning about a person’s story, or history, before passing judgment. We are all so different

- we have different parents, different houses, different interests, and different beliefs. Yet, we are also

so much the same - we are all in Room 106 together, we are all human, we are all learning, and we

all want to feel happy. In order to have empathy, we need to put away our judgements, and really get

to know each other.

Your Journey, Your Choices

My students, life is all about making choices that help you live your truth. My truth is that

kindness and empathy make school, and the world, a better place for all of us. My truth is that we can

get ultimately more accomplished when we are working together and focusing on our similarities, than

living divided based on differences. As your teacher, and as a person, I try to make choices that align

with these beliefs. This year, and the rest of your life, you will have to determine your own truths, and

make your own choices. Will you take the time to listen to your classmates' stories? Will you lead

each day with kindness? Will you stand up for someone who is being put down because of who they

are? When your classmates think about you in 15 or 20 years, who will they remember?

I hope that your actions this year will show kindness and empathy. I hope that you will be the

person who would have said that a new kid like me could sit with them. I hope that you will be the

person who asks a classmate if everything is okay before passing judgment on them. I hope that you

will have an open mind as we learn about the world, and that you will work hard each day. I will strive

to model kindness and empathy for you each day, and when I have a misstep I will be the first to

apologize for it. We will be kind, we will show empathy, and we will work hard to learn and be the best

people we can be. This is my promise to you.

Sincerely Your Teacher,

Miss Heather Hillman