• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Living

Meet the teacher encouraging her students one affirmation at a time

1:00
Teacher's empowering 'mirror affirmations' inspire classroom and internet alike
ABCNews.com
ByYi-Jin Yu
October 28, 2022, 8:04 AM

A Georgia teacher is on a mission to inspire both her young students and her followers online.

Known by her students as Miss P., Anyunna Phillips strives to instill confidence and build up her kindergartners at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology in Atlanta. She also shares snippets of her classroom life with tens of thousands of followers through her @cool.missp Instagram account.

Among her popular posts are affirmation videos with her students. One video post with more than 20,000 likes features several of her kindergarteners walking up to a mirror in their classroom and proudly reciting affirmations such as "I'm strong!" and "I'm not afraid of anything!"

Phillips keeps a mirror in her classroom that is decorated with words of encouragement. She encourages students to use the mirror as a positivity tool.
Courtesy Anyunna Phillips

Related Articles

MORE: Sweet pencil affirmations are the simple, loving hack parents need

Editor’s Picks

Need a pep talk? Kindergartners share encouragement, joy in viral hotline

  • Mar 09, 2022

This 2-year-old's morning mantra is the pep talk we needed today

  • Oct 18, 2021

Teacher uses affirmation station, check-in chart to help students’ mental health

  • Aug 18, 2021

"I want them to feel empowered and to know that they can do anything," Phillips told "Good Morning America."

Phillips is a passionate teacher who has been teaching for the last seven years and first turned to education to make a difference.

Anyunna Phillips teachers kindergartners at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology in Atlanta.
Courtesy Anyunna Phillips

"I want my kids, my students to really learn how to be good people in this world," she said of her goal as an educator. "I really want to build them up, build up that confidence, that self-belief, self-love. Those are all the things that I'm pretty big on."

"They know I believe in them and I'm just really trying to get them to believe in themselves as well," she added.

The students' top five affirmations, according to Phillips, include "I'm loved," "I can do anything," "I'm strong," "I'm brave" and "I'm special."

Related Articles

MORE: This mom's daily affirmations with her 3-year-old daughter will inspire you

For Phillips and her students, she said, reciting affirmations "sets the tone for the day." Throughout the rest of the school day, she makes it a point to remind the kids of what they said to themselves earlier that morning.

"It doesn't just end here at the mirror," Phillips said. "I remind them of those affirmations."

Phillips told "GMA" she loves to teach and also loves to share her passion on Instagram to help other teachers as well.
Courtesy Anyunna Phillips

"It gives them that spark and they light right back up, like, 'I can do anything,' " she said.

Phillips said she's noticed the affirmations and the friendly reminders not only boost her students' moods but also their overall mental health and social and emotional learning.

"It resonates with you even more when you say it to the mirror," Phillips explained. "So I tell them, 'Go to the mirror and tell yourself something good.' And they go, they do it … and it is working for them. I can see the growth. I can see the development each day."

As for the ripple effects, she said she's felt the impact of those affirmations herself, saying it's a positive practice she encourages fellow teachers and adults to try for themselves.

In addition to being a teacher, Phillips is also a mom to a daughter and two sons. Her kids range in age from 1 to 7.
Courtesy Anyunna Phillips

"The response on Instagram has been overwhelming. It's been amazing," Phillips said. "So many people are sending so many positive messages or they're sharing their own stories … and they have said I've inspired them to just keep going and keep trying."

Phillips told "GMA" she's also been overwhelmed by the responses she's received from sharing her posts on social media.

"What keeps me going for posting is the fact that I get so much feedback of how I'm helping other teachers and things of that nature," Phillips said. "If my posts can help anyone or inspire anyone, I'll post."

"I can't believe I'm in a position to really share with the world and kind of be a positive light for the world," she added.

Editor’s Picks

Need a pep talk? Kindergartners share encouragement, joy in viral hotline

  • Mar 09, 2022

This 2-year-old's morning mantra is the pep talk we needed today

  • Oct 18, 2021

Teacher uses affirmation station, check-in chart to help students’ mental health

  • Aug 18, 2021

Up Next in Living—

June's full strawberry moon: See photos and what it means for your zodiac

June 11, 2025

High school athlete somersaults to track and field championship win

June 10, 2025

Michaels buys Joann brand, plans to expand crafting supply to meet demand

June 6, 2025

Approximately 1.7 million air conditioners voluntarily recalled for potential mold exposure

June 6, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News