“My Uncle, because he leads a prayer in our mosque. He always gives us hope when he has a lecture or a speech. I always take his advice and I always achieve what I want to do.” — 5th Grade Student
The future world leaders in Ms Bartholomew’s 5th Grade Class at Richland Elementary simplify hope for those of us who have allowed growing up to get in the way of hope. Simple and powerful!
09: I Share Hope with Ms. Bartholomew’s 5th Grade Class
Student:
My uncle because he leads a prayer in our mosque, and he always gives us hope when he has a lecture or a speech. I always take his advice, and I always achieve what I want to do.
Intro:
Welcome to I Share Hope! The Podcast where world leaders share their real stories of hope and how you can use actionable hope to start changing your life today and now here’s your host Chris Williams.
Chris Williams:
This is gonna be a really great interview because we have a class full of 5th graders, Ms. Bartholomew’s class here at Richland Elementary, and I think these kids may have more hope than most adults, and I’m really glad, and I hope they never leave it. What we’ve done is we have a collection of students around, and we’re gonna ask the same five questions of hope that we ask all of our world leaders. I think there are probably some world leaders sitting in front of me. We just don’t know where they end up yet.
Question 1: What is your definition of hope, or what is the favorite quote that you have about hope?
So, does anybody here know a thing that’s quote about hope first? Nobody yet? That’s okay. Most people that we interview have to look that up, and they kinda get prepared. Who might have an idea of what hope is?
Student:
Something you believe in.
Chris Williams:
Something you believe in. That’s a great one.
Student:
Something that keeps you going.
Chris Williams:
Something that kinda keeps you going. Yeah. Something you believe in or something that kinda keeps you going. You know, I did something before I came here. I looked at Wikipedia, the source of all good knowledge in the world right now, right? No, just kidding. But, Wikipedia is an interesting dictionary because it’s a collection of what a lot of people think and believe about certain subjects. It’s a big collection of a lot of people’s thoughts, and Wikipedia has a really interesting article about hope, and it describes it this way: hope is something that you are really reasonably sure can happen, but you have to take some very…
Chris Williams:
Okay. The definition of hope, it’s in Wikipedia. It talks about how hope is something that’s not just, “I really hope that a unicorn flies by today.” I think that’s really cool, but I don’t think the chances are very great that will happen, right?
Student:
No.
Chris Williams:
But, if I say, I really hope I get to go to college. Now that’s a really good one. Everybody in this classroom can go to college. You just got to take the right steps to get there. That’s hope. That’s hoping in something you know has a chance of happening. Makes sense?
Question 2: All right, so if hope is something that helps you really believe that something real can happen, who in your life has given you a lot of hope?
Student:
My dad.
Chris Williams:
Your dad has. Why?
Student:
Because he says everyday don’t give up on like anything I’m working on like extra assignments or anything. He said never give up.
Chris Williams:
That’s a really great one. Your dad is a great giver of hope. Yes sir?
Student:
My uncle because he leads a prayer in our mosque, and he always gives us hope when he has a lecture or a speech. I always take his advice, and I always achieve what I want to do.
Chris Williams:
That is really great. Your uncle sounds like a phenomenal giver of hope. That’s really great. Yes?
Student:
My teacher because she always pushes us to try harder, or she helps us a lot.
Chris Williams:
That’s really good. Somebody who’s pushing you to achieve because they believe that you could really achieve a lot more. They really know that there’s hope there. Yes ma’am?
Student:
My teacher because she always tells us to never give up even when things are hard. She always says that.
Chris Williams:
Well, that’s good. She is reminding you that just because something gets really hard in life you can still have hope because you know you can get that done and do it really well. Good. That’s really good. We found out what hope was. It’s something you can really believe in because there’s a reasonableness to that thing happening, and there are reasonable steps you can take to get there. And then, we’ve talked about, second question of who gives you hope, and teachers, dad, uncle. I mean those are great answers. Man, these are good answers. And then the third question we always ask is…
Question 3: When was the time in your life when things were really hard, and you really had to use real hope to get through something? Something at home? Something at school? Something with your friends, whatever it may be? Yeah?
Student:
It was with my cousin. My cousin, she, we always hurt each others’ feelings sometimes because we get really negative to each other, and so, well, I fix it by making something sweet for her or something.
Chris Williams:
Wow. Yeah. I tell you, when kids do that, I think it reminds a lot of grown-ups that it’s sometimes easily to think to make some friendships and some relationships a little better off. You just thought of a simple way to do something nice for her. It reminded you that you’re still friends, your cousin. You all still love each other. That’s a great idea. Who else has had to use hope in a tough situation that was really hard in life and you had to believe that it was gonna be okay to get through? Yes ma’am?
Student:
It’s when my dog died. We’ve had it for a long time, and we believed that we could make it through and that you’ll be okay.
Chris Williams:
Those are sad times when a loved one dies. Her dog died, and it’s so hard when those things happen. You cry a lot, and the whole family’s sad. Then, you’re right. You had to believe it was gonna be okay. Eventually the pain does go away, and eventually maybe a new pet comes along, or… But, there’s still a sweet spot in your heart, and I think that’s special. You need to remember those. Yes ma’am?
Student:
Mine is just like hers. I lost both of my dogs. One, she had a tumor in her stomach, and so they had to put her to sleep forever, and also my dog, my other dog, he’s a boy. He ran away. We don’t know where he went. He just like went somewhere one day.
Chris Williams:
That’s sad. It is. It’s a good one though. Yes ma’am?
Student:
My cousin, he’s like at night walking down the street, and he got shot.
Chris Williams:
Oh no.
Student:
But, he’s doing surgery, and my mom told me he’s going to be okay, and my family and my brothers are crying, and I did too.
Chris Williams:
So, your cousin got shot. That’s really tough. Your mom sounds like a strong lady. She really does. She says he’s gonna be okay, and he’s gonna be okay? Is he still in the hospital?
Student:
Oh, no, he’s out right now.
Chris Williams:
Okay. So, he’s made out okay. There are so many rough hard things that happen in life. Sometimes it’s a pet. Sometimes it’s a friend. Sometimes it’s something where something violent happens, and it’s a surprise to the whole family, but it really is important to have hope when you know it’s reasonable, and we can actually move through and move on from those things. Yes ma’am?
Student:
Our friend, he moved in with us, and since he had to leave to go to somewhere else and we were really sad, but my mom said we could go visit him.
Chris Williams:
That’s right. We have lots of friends who get to come to our lives and leave our lives. It is sad when you have a friend leave because you really get connected with some of those people you know. You all had a grandparent or a friend who’s lived in your house, and when they leave eventually you’re really sad because it’s like you’re missing somebody from your family, but you can have hope. You get to see them again. You get to visit them. You get to call them on the phone, e-mail. Good. All right, question number 4. That’s question number 3. We’ve talked about what is hope and how do we define it. How do we know what it is? It’s something sure that we can say, “I believe that can happen, and I can get there.” That’s certainly hope for something. It gets real, and figuring out how to take important action steps to get to that thing you’re hoping in. We’ve talked about who’s been a good giver of hope and encouraged us to keep moving forward and take good action steps. And, we’ve also talked about what’s been a hard time in our life we’ve had to use hope.
Question 4: Now, the fourth question is what are you doing today, what are you doing right now in your neighborhood, at your school, your family, your place of worship, wherever, to bring hope to people around you?
Chris Williams:
I know you’ve got good ideas. Yes ma’am? Talk real loud.
Student:
Well, there’s this little girl in my neighborhood, and she has cancer, so me and my friends go to her house.
Chris Williams:
That is sweet. You have a friend with cancer, and you all go visit her at her house. That’s really great. She had to stay inside right now? That’s a great way to bring hope to somebody who’s really feeling sick or sad or like if they don’t know if those are gonna be too hard, and boy, it’s so great to have friends around to encourage somebody along who’s having a hard time with hope. Who else is bringing hope to your friends in your neighborhood?
Student:
My brother, he has surgery. He actually has surgery fifteen times his whole life. Everyday when he comes back from school, I help him.
Chris Williams:
See, that’s really great, encouraging people along who are having a hard time. We all have hard times in our life at some point. We get a bad grade. Somebody in our family is sick or injured, or we lose a dog, whatever it may be, but, oh boy, if you’re the one doing okay right then, it’s a great time to give hope. It’s also, believe it or not, a great time to share hope when you’re not having a good time. If you’re in a hopeless situation where it’s really hard in life for you right then, that’s really is one of the best times to start giving because you know when you’re feeling really bad and you do something nice for somebody else, how’s that make you feel?
Student:
Good.
Chris Williams:
Good. You bet it does. It takes your mind off of thinking about you, and you started thinking about somebody else. That makes a lot of things seem a little better and kind of helps you get back on track when taking some action steps. I’m gonna ask another question, and then you get another chance to answer. I think we know who’s gonna be a radio talent when she grows up, right? That girl needs a microphone. I just send you home with that thing all weekend. You can play with it.
Student:
I have one.
Chris Williams:
You have one?
Student:
Yes.
Question 5: We like to leave the people that are listening with one or two or three steps that they can take right now if they wanna start changing their lives for a more hopeful situation. So, what could they do right now? Believe it or not, you have already said a bunch of these things. So, if you can think of just one thing they could do to give hope to somebody or grow hope in their own heart, that would be great.
Chris Williams:
Get up there real close.
Students:
Make them laugh. Make them a sweet treat or something. Just smile at people you pass by. Helping them out when they can’t do anything. Making them feel special. Just talk to them and make them feel good.
Chris Williams:
Talk to them and make them feel good. You all are so sweet. Who else?
Student:
Take them somewhere.
Chris Williams:
Take them somewhere. Yeah. That’s always fun.
Student:
Encourage them.
Chris Williams:
Can you say it louder? That would be good.
Student:
Encourage them.
Chris Williams:
Encourage them. I have three ladies with their hands up again. Go ahead.
Student:
You could take them at Starbucks.
Chris Williams:
I like that idea. Take them at Starbucks.
Student:
You could take them to a restaurant.
Chris Williams:
Yeah.
Student:
You should let them feel welcome.
Chris Williams:
Let them feel welcome. That’s good. That’s a good way to accept people.
Student:
Just give them a hug.
Chris Williams:
Give them a hug. You all are so good at this. All right, so you all thought so many ideas about how to share hope right here. So, you know what hope is now? It’s knowing that there’s something that really is for real out there that I or somebody else can achieve and then having steps to get there, keeps that hope alive, so you can start moving. You’ve talked about who shares hope in your life, awesome, because you’ve realized what that means to you. You’ve learned about a time when it was tough in your own heart, in your own life where you had to really use hope in your own mind and heart to really get through something. We talked about what you’re doing right now to share hope, where you are all treating your neighbors and family, and we’ve talked about some really creative ways that anybody listening can just do one of those things today. That is so incredible. Thank you all very much. Now, I always ask this. If you’re just having a bad day and feeling grumpy and you need to kinda get your mind back going where it should go, what are you gonna listen to? What kind of music are you gonna play in your room, in your headphones? Favorite songs?
Students:
Taylor Swift. I listen to pop or something. Waltz music. Rock. I listen to my sister playing the clarinet.
Chris Williams:
Your sister playing the clarinet. She sounds really good, and wow, impressive. Yeah.
Student:
You could listen to 104.5 if it’s Christmas time.
Chris Williams:
That’s right. Got to have some good holiday music on.
Student:
Listen to Higher the song.
Chris Williams:
Yeah, I love that song.
Student:
Kat took my…
Chris Williams:
Kat took yours.. listening to holiday music. Oh man.
Student:
I practice my viola.
Chris Williams:
Practice your viola? I’m impressed you can play that.
Student:
I don’t listen to music. I make up my own songs to sing.
Chris Williams:
That’s a great idea, making up your own songs. It’s so fun. You all know so much about hope and how to share hope and even how to build hope in your own hearts. I think this is really great. I appreciate your time. I really do. You all have done such a great job. So, each time we do this, every person we interview, everybody says, “I’m,” and then say the name, “and I share hope.” So, I would say like, “I’m Chris Williams, and I share hope.” I want you all to say, “We’re Ms. Bartholomew’s 5th grade class, and we share hope.” Let’s give it a couple of practice rounds so, one, two, three.
Students:
We’re Ms. Bartholomew’s class, and we share hope.
Chris Williams:
Let’s do a, “We’re Ms. Bartholomew’s 5th grade class, and we share hope.”
Students:
We’re Ms. Bartholomew’s 5th grade class, and we share hope.
Chris Williams:
I love it. If you were to hear these five questions answered by anybody in the world, who would it be?
Students:
Taylor Swift. My baby cousin Amelia, where she gets to talk. Vincent Company. My mom. My cousins in Australia. Chris Williams.
Chris Williams:
Chris Williams? Oh, he’s hard to get. He’s too important. [Laughs]
Students:
A different Kylie, like the famous Kylie. Jennifer Lawrence. Jason. AnnaSophia Robb. Rick Riordan. Criminal Minds. Robin Jones Gunn. The people on the Frozen Movie. Cop out. The people that’s in Disney Channel.
Chris Williams:
I’ll do my best to try to get some of these people to share hope and if I do I would bring them back right here for an interview. I can’t get them here, but I can bring their interviews back and make sure I share them with you guys. Yes ma’am?
Student:
The guy that plays Darth Vader in Star Wars.
Chris Williams:
Oh yeah! You like James Earl Jones, the voice? I actually don’t know who’s in the Star Wars costume, but the voice you hear is a guy named James Earl Jones. He was actually Mufasa’s voice. He’s Simba’s dad, which is Mufasa in the Lion King. Really awesome voice. Thank you all. You are all wonderful. Now, let’s do one more. What would we be saying?
Students:
We’re Ms. Bartholomew’s 5th grade class, and we share hope.
[Applause]
Chris Williams:
There it is, from the world leaders of tomorrow, some really great points. And so, I appreciate Ms. Bartholomew, the entire class, parents, and Richland Elementary’s. Thank you all. Great time. Those students give such practical tips that were really easy to use. Giving somebody a hug, smiling, buying somebody a cup of coffee, helping somebody who’s sick. The simplest things, the things that are so easy to pass over because they don’t seem like they really matter, but I think we’ve all had a day. I know I have where a hug, a smile, a simple cup of coffee and a listening ear for 30 minutes would have made a huge difference. Talking to a lot of you already about sharing hope and new ways to do that, and also if you have any ideas of who we should interview, I’m all ears. You could find me @chriswilliamshq on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, etc. ChrisWilliamsHQ. I’m gonna continue sharing hope. There are so many things I’m gonna do. In fact, sitting in a coffee shop again, working on these notes, and I think I’ll do some hope sharing here in just a minute. Hope to get to share some hope today. Talk to you soon.
You’ve just listened to I Share Hope. If you are ready to make a change, head to our website at www.isharehope.com and claim your free copy of the top ten actions of hope from World Leaders to use hope in your own life. Thanks for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.
Ms. Bartholomew:
Yeah, you all need to bring your wires tomorrow.
Chris Williams:
So, I just need to make sure that any kids who need to be talking know they’re supposed to be talking, and if they’re not that they’re not.
Ms. Bartholomew:
Okay, these are who I got slips back for. So, Mustafa, Lydia, Faras, Michael, Cameron, Yasmine, Savannah, Sierra, Kimberly, Katz and Kylie.
Chris Williams:
Okay, so if you heard your name, then your parents said it was okay for your voice to be recorded. If you didn’t hear your name, it’ll still be fun. Since you’re under 18, your parents have to get permission for your voice or your picture or anything like that to be shared with the public. This is to keep you all safe. This is a really good idea. So, raise your hand if you are allowed to talk on this recording, so I can just see who I got here. Great. Will you say… Just say one, two, three.
Students:
One, two, three…
