Reaching out : Third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz devised a lesson plan last month , which has spread to classrooms across the nation via Twitter . A third-grade teacher in Denver , Colorado has sparked a sensation on Twitter , after asking her students to open up about their personal struggles . Kyle Schwartz has been a teacher for three years , and says that many of her students at Doull Elementary School come from underprivileged backgrounds , with 92 per cent of the student body qualifying for free or reduced lunch . Seeking to understand a bit more about their lives , Schwartz last month thought up a lesson plan called ' I wish my teacher knew ... ' She asked all for he children to write down one thing they wanted to tell her , but would n't normally in the classroom situation and the results were heartbreaking . The first note that Schwartz shared on twitter was from a student who said they did n't have pencils at home to do their homework . That note especially touched Schwartz . ' I care deeply about each and every one of my students and I do n't want any of them to have to suffer the consequences of living in poverty , which is my main motivation for teaching , ' Schwartz told ABC News . Another , spoke about missing her father , who was deported back to Mexico six years ago . Hoping to learn more about her students ' personal struggles , Schwartz asked them to answer the qestion ' I wish my teacher knew ... ' on a piece of paper and turn it in to her anonymously or share it with the class . Schwartz sais she found the above note from a student who did n't have pencils at home to do homework especially heartbreaking . Alone : After trying out the lesson plan , Schwartz says she not only learned more about her students , she saw a change in how they interacted with each other . For example , a group of girls invited one student to play at recess after hearing in class that they felt they had no friends . Heartbreak at home : One student wrote about missing her father , who was deported six years ago back to Mexico . Language barrier : Another student in Schwartz 's class wrote about a challenging aspect of being bi-lingual . Busy parents : Schwartz shared many of these notes on Twitter , and soon teachers across the nation started trying out the lesson themselves and posting their own results online . ' I wish my teacher knew I do n't have [ a ] friend to [ play ] with me , ' another note read . Schwartz said that she gave her children the option to answer the question anonymously , but found that most signed their name and were even willing to share their story with the class . After sharing some of the notes on Twitter , Schwartz said she started getting responses from teachers across the nation who tried out the lesson . 'It 's hard to stay asleep at night ' : Rebecca Shoniker , a middle school teacher in North Carolina , shared these responses from her class on Twitter . ' I think it caught on so fast because teachers are highly collaborative and freely share and explore resources , ' Schwartz said . 'In the end , all teachers want to support their students , and # iwishmyteacherknew is a simple and powerful way to do that . ' Since trying out the lesson plan , Schwartz has not only learned more about her students , she has seen a change in how they interact with each other . 'After one student shared that she had no one to play with at recess , the rest of the class chimed in and said , 'we got your back . ' The next day during recess , I noticed she was playing with a group of girls , ' Schwartz said . Stressful : Dawn King , a fourth grade teacher , shared this letter from a student who was worried about a sick parent . Sadness : Another student in King 's class wrote about a fear of having depression . That student was open enough to share those fears with a parent . Bullied : Mary Lou Shuster in South Portland , Maine , shared this note about a student who is being bullied .
Kyle Schwartz , a third-grade teacher in Denver , Colorado , devised a new lesson plan six years ago . Hoping to learn about her students ' struggles outside the classroom , Schwartz had them answer the question ' I wish my teacher knew ... ' After posting some of the affecting responses on Twitter , teachers across the nation started trying out the lesson and posted their own responses .