Principal reads bedtime stories to kids over Facebook Live because she loves 'honoring children'
"Relationships are the key to trust and student growth."
It's the education parent dreams are made of.
A school principal in Texas reads her students bedtime stories over Facebook Live each week. They're called "Tucked-In Tuesdays."
Dr. Belinda George is a first-year principal at Homer Drive Elementary in Beaumont Independent School District in Beaumont, Texas. She started reading to the students -- or, "scholars" as she refers to them -- in December.
"It was close to Christmas break, and I was going to miss my scholars," she told "Good Morning America."
The goal, she said, is "to bridge the gap between home and school. I also want to form relationships with my scholars and their families."
For George, relationships are the very heart of education.
"Children will not trust you until you give them a reason to," she told "GMA." "As an educator, you must build relationships with each child that you encounter. Relationships are the key to trust and student growth. If a child feels loved, they will try. There's no science behind it. When dealing with children, you have to remember that no matter what they do, they are children. No matter the behavior, they all want to be loved and nurtured."
The parents love that George takes time with the kids outside of school hours. At Homer Drive Elementary, 94 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged. Anyone can listen to George read bedtime stories from her living room at 7:30 pm Central Time on Tuesday nights.
"I love children, and I just want to help my parents in any way that I can," George said. "I am just doing what I love and that is honoring children."
Loving and honoring children, George believes, is the key to being a great leader.
"As an effective educator, you must believe and see the best in every child," she said. "It is your job and duty to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met before you can teach them anything academically. You have to lead with your heart because that is what children see first. Once children know that you love them, they will do anything for you."
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