If you're one of those people who's really bad with names and forgets them literally a second after someone shakes your hand and introduces themselves, this story will knock your socks off. Forgetting names easily is not something many people really wish to possess as a characteristic, especially if you're a teacher.
Sure, you have a whole year to get to know your class (or classes), but the start of each new school year brings you dozens of new kids whose names you have to learn. For this teacher from Wichita, Kansas, she not only learned all the names of her students, but she memorized a unique handshake for each of them too.
Before entering the classroom, Jerusha Willenborg greets each of her third-grade students one at a time with a custom handshake they'd agreed on, finishing with a hug before they walk to their desk. Miss Willenborg teaches at Mueller Elementary School, and a video shows her doing a different handshake with around 20 kids who line up before entering the classroom.
It's seriously impressive because not only can she remember all the different handshakes for each student with total ease, but the handshakes have some seriously complicated choreography at times. I'm talking synchronised claps, elbow motions, heel taps, dabs and fist bumps.
Take a look for yourself:
The teacher from Wichita, Kansas, said it's all about developing a personal bond with each of the students. "Their face. I just look at their face and I know it builds that relationship," she told CNN. "It’s just between me and them and it’s special."
It seems to work, with each of the kids appearing to enjoy doing their secret handshake with their teacher and mentor before stepping into the classroom. One student said, "It makes me feel like Miss Willenborg has my back."
It all started four years ago when one student asked if she and Miss Willenborg could have a special handshake between them. Naturally, when other students saw this, they also wanted to have a unique greeting with the third-grade teacher.
The comments on the video are just as heartwarming as the upload itself. "Some kids don't want to go to school due to not liking their teacher but you've seemed to build a strong bond with them," one person wrote. Many wished they had Miss Willenborg as their teacher too, commenting, "i wish i had a teacher like you god bless" and "Be my teacher I neeed a teacher like this".
But of course, there were also the haters who for whatever reason got really mad at the video, one person calling it "lame" and writing: "Wasting time while they could be teaching! Also it’s flu season! Irresponsible!" I mean... LOL. How about you loosen up a little?
Jerusha Willenborg's Youtube channel shows various videos of her now famous handshakes - with each new student getting their own handshake too.
Anyone else feeling a bit jealous that they didn't have such an awesome teacher in third grade?
