This tugs on the heartstrings!
An Oakland teacher is using his own life experiences as inspiration to become a modern-day Mister Rogers, Today.com reports.
Donovan Taylor Hall is a middle school teacher at Impact Academy, a charter school in Oakland. While most teachers are focused on the rigors of academics, Hall is taking a more inside-out approach, teaching a class focused on 21st-century skills, like coping with stress and anxiety and the importance of gratitude and self-love. Hall takes the lessons he shares with his 7th graders and uploads them to TikTok, going viral with some videos garnering more than one million views. The teacher is known as âMister Donovan,â a modern-day spin on Mister Rogers.Â
âI am trying to help kids feel and do better than theyâve done in the past. Iâm trying to help kids build positive relationships with themselves, and trying to stop this, this cycle of disconnect that happens at this age,â Hall said.
A cycle of disconnect Hall knows all too well, struggling as a Black gay child, eventually grappling with suicidal thoughts.
âI remember just being so unsure of myself and being so sad, and my dad passed away when I was a kid. And my mom worked so hard, and she was a teacher on her own. And so I hid it from her because I didnât know how to ask for help. By the time I got to college, I was suicidal. I didnât want to be alive because I thought if I did the right things eventually, I would feel better, and it felt like it just wasnât working. And wishing that an adult would come out ...to me and say, like, âI see you, and Iâm here for you.â And so for me to be able to do that for kids, just hearing them share these things that people I think kind of undervalue,â Hall told reporter Hoda Kotb.Â
@donofriend Why I tell my students I love them pt 1/3. From a storytelling comp. #teachersoftiktok #kids #love #fyp #foryoupage #QuickerPickerRapper #father
⏠Day 'n' Nite - Kid Cudi
He focuses on teaching children to maintain an empowering context about themselves and life. Many of his students speak highly of how âMister Donovan has already changed their lives.
âIâve been keeping a lot inside, and in Mr. Donovanâs class, I get to like express myself and not have a fear of being judged,â one student named Jada said.
âHe makes me feel like I can do it, that I can accomplish this, my goal of getting good grades,â 12-year-old Osmer added.
@donofriend Make learning safe! I still have kids apologize for asking questions. ##fyp ##foryou ##virtualteacher ##teachersoftiktok ##teacher ##kids ##school ##students
⏠original sound - Nick Davis
Hall wants to expand his platform to a larger audience, setting up a home studio to make inspirational videos aimed at children, just like a modern-day Mister Rogers.
âHelping kids build a positive self-image leads directly into how they show up in the classroom. When they feel confident in who they are, and they love who they are, theyâre not gonna be afraid to make mistakes...I wouldnât be here without kids. And I feel like I wanna do this work on a bigger scale,â Hall said.
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@donofriend The most important time for positive self talk is when you are struggling! ##selftalk ##edutok ##motivation ##teachers ##students ##teachersoftiktok ##kids
⏠original sound - Donovan Taylor Hall
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TODAY reporters surprised Hall with a new HP laptop, fully loaded with Adobe editing software to support his mission.
âI feel weirdly safe that youâre on the planet now. I feel like one of those kids in your class is going to change the world just like you are, and Iâm so glad you didnât do it that day. And we just wanted to say thank you too for all the amazing things that youâre doing with kids,â Kotb told Hall.
Thank you for the work youâre doing, Mister Donovan! Because of you, they can!
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
Photo Courtesy of Today.com