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NJ Teacher Writes Encouraging Messages on Students' Desks Before Their Exam

Mrs. Chandni Langford at Evergreen Avenue Elementary in Woodbury, New Jersey, recently wrote inspiring messages on her 5th grade students' desks to help encourage them before they took their exams.
Woodbury City Public School District

May 11, 2016, 7:35 PM

 -- A 5th-grade teacher from Woodbury, New Jersey, has been surprising her students with personalized messages of encouragement on their desks for the past week.

"Learning is your superpower!" one message reads. "Remember, never stop trying and never stop growing your brain!"

Chandni Langford, who teaches at Evergreen Avenue Elementary School, told ABC News today that the messages were meant to help "reassure and motivate" her students who've been taking PARRC standardized testing.

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"I want my kids to know that I appreciate them and that I believe they can achieve anything they want to," Langford said. "And for me, it doesn't matter if they don't do well or even if they fail -- as long as they were trying their hardest, learn from their mistakes and do better in the future."

She added that she always emphasizes to her students that they're "worth so much more than just a test grade."

Langford said the messages also stemmed from what she calls "growth mindset," the belief that abilities "aren't necessarily innate and can actually be developed through hard work and effort rather than just innately," she said.

The desk messages resonated well not only with students but also with other people on social media. Photos of the positive notes were shared by the Woodbury City Public School District on Facebook last Monday and have since been shared over 19,000 times.