I often tell the story of Mrs. Kaufman because she played such a pivotal role in my turnaround.
I first met Mrs. Kaufman when I was six years old. Living in an impoverished and hopeless situation, I was often the center of ridicule among my classmates at school, “Hey Johnson, where’d you get that dress? Salvation Army? Danita, are those your granddaddy’s shoes?” I was unhappy and afraid.
Among a classroom of 30 students, I could have easily been lost in the crowd. After all, every student had needs. I wasn’t that special. How could one teacher touch every child in a way that matters?
Somehow, Mrs. Kaufman found a way.
With a simple request she changed my life, “Danita I’d like for you to stay after school some days and be my assistant. In fact, I’d like for you to grade papers for me. Do you think you could do that?”
Whoa! Someone noticed me! Someone paid attention! I was no longer an invisible statistic. I was Danita Johnson and I was going to be Mrs. Kaufman’s assistant!
My experience with Mrs. Kaufman was the first time in my life I was noticed. It was the first time someone paid attention to me in a way that made me feel valuable and worthy. Instead of assuming I was worthless like so many had in the past, she looked beyond my present circumstances and somehow saw a positive future.
And I wasn’t the only one she noticed. When I reflect back on that period in my life, I recall how she paid attention to many of her students – spending extra time to help a student with handwriting or math problems. Although I can’t be certain, I’ll bet there are other adults telling their own Mrs. Kaufman stories today.
Mrs. Kaufman wasn’t just a teacher, she was a life changer. We need more Mrs. Kaufmans.
Too many people walk through life with blinders on. They allow the busyness of life to narrow their focus to only their needs, wants and desires. Today’s “me culture” has divided communities and worse … it’s allowed the potential of those trapped in desperate circumstances to fade away into a dreary statistic.
Open your eyes. Pay attention to what’s going on around you – even the seemingly insignificant. Then, choose to take action.
I’m not suggesting you become a social activist. However, I am suggesting that you become attuned to the world outside of your own. Notice others and your affect on them. Even the slightest action, like noticing someone as Mrs. Kaufman did me, has influence. You are a ripple that has the power to change communities and this world.
But it all starts with opening your eyes.
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