Teacher encourages students through enthusiastic pep talks, words of affirmation

One California teacher is proving that sometimes a little courage can go a long way.

Katie Booser, a third-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary in Santa Barbara, returned to the school for in-person, socially distant learning on March 4. Since then, she’s been giving her students inspiring pep talks and having them repeat words of affirmation before taking tests.

“I believe in me. I believe in me,” they say together.

Booser said that she does this ritual to help her students build confidence inside and outside the classroom, especially during what’s been a tough school year.

“It’s really helped during this time teaching during COVID, with so much out of our control,” said Booser. “That chant we do … it’s great before tests but it’s also great out in the real world as well.”

Speaking to “World News Tonight” on Monday, Booser shared some of her words of encouragement with students across the country.

“I want all students to know that they are strong, that they are capable, that they are smart and that they can do hard things,” she said. “In fact, they have been doing them all along.”