Mr. Turner turned up with the cheerleaders, much to everyone's delight.
People who dedicate themselves to the education of children and youth are usually some of the most admirable people on the planet, just by default. But sometimes a teacher, coach or administrator goes above and beyond the call of duty, reminding us of how valuable educators are, not only to the students they serve but to society at large.
Levi Turner is the principal of Burnett Junior High School in Wylie, Texas, and a video of him cheering with the school's cheer squad is delighting people everywhere.
School principal takes school spirit to the next level
A mom in the stands filmed Mr. Turner joining the cheerleaders on the track to lead the crowd in the classic "ROWDY" cheer. One of the cheerleaders gave the principal one of her poms just before they started, and he ran with it. Not only did he know the cheer, but he knew all the moves that went along with it and performed them perfectly.
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People loved seeing Mr. Turner joyfully and confidently cheering along with the students.
"As a former high school cheerleader, being able to do this w the principal would’ve been so much fun. This guy gets it!"
"Definitely a memorable moment for the cheerleaders and audience watching! All spirit and smiles up there! Go Mr. T!! 👏📣"
"This is everything!! What an amazing leader and principal. 👏❤️"
"I don’t know why this just absolutely made my day, but it did! Nice job young ladies and well done sir !!!"
"I love how his enthusiasm just grows as it keeps going! ❤❤"
"These are core memories for the cheerleaders, well done Mr. Principal!"
Even ESPN shared a video of Mr. Turner cheering alongside the Buccaneer cheerleaders
Mr. Turner joined the Buccaneer cheerleaders again, only a little more prepared this time, with two poms and some extra school spirit in his attire. That video was even shared on ESPN's TikTok:
@espn 10 out of 10, no notes👏 (via @Burnett Bucs Cheer) #cheer #cheerleader #school #principal #football
When educators go out of their way to bond with students, its shows them that they aren't just there as an authoritarian taskmasters or managers of administration, but caring adults who are there to support them. It's okay for authority figures to have fun and share joyful moments with students. It's more than okay—it's a hallmark of someone who understands what it takes to help kids thrive.
Good education is a holistic endeavor that requires building relationships
For instance, remember the 8th grade teacher who engaged in a dance-off with students? These are both perfect examples of education being about so much more than just classroom instruction. Educating a student is a holistic process, involving not only "teaching" as we traditionally think of it, but also building trusting relationships. Sometimes that might be serving as a mentor or counselor when a student is struggling with something. And sometime that means finding opportunities to enjoy things together, like dancing or cheerleading.
When students understand deep down that the adults charged with their education care about them, not just as numbers but as human beings, they will be more likely to demonstrate the kind of respect, dedication and effort we want to see in them. You can try to scare kids into submission or you can try to inspire them into desirable behavior. The latter generally works better and is a whole lot more enjoyable for everyone involved.
The students at Burnett Junior High School may not remember every fact or formula they're taught in class, but they will always remember the principal who grabbed a pom and let the crowd alongside the cheerleaders. Walking the talk of school spirit. Practicing what he preaches. Working with the students, not against them. Setting an example for everyone.
It may only be a brief glimpse, but sometimes that's enough to see a true leader in action. Three cheers for Mr. Turner. Let's hope his students understand how lucky they are to have him.
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
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Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.