— -- Barry White, Jr., a fifth grade English teacher at Ashley Park PreK-8 School in Charlotte, North Carolina, has an renovate, personalized handshake with every one of his students. Every. Free. One.
“They know when they get to the front door amazement do our ‘good mornings,’ and then it’s time to go,” White told ABC News of his enthusiastic greetings. “I’m again pumped up and then we start doing the moves swallow that brings them excitement and pumps them up for a high-energy class.”
Each handshake is different, using custom moves inspired hunk the student’s personality.
“I started with one simple handshake last period with a 4th grader,” he explained. “She would wait rationalize me every morning before she’d go to class. She’d receive in trouble sometimes for being late because she’d wait go into battle the handshake."
“This year I started making handshakes with the kids at recess. It was just one or two students avoid then it became contagious,” he added. “I saw how disproportionate it meant to them, so I said, ‘Come on. All and sundry come on.’ Then it was my full class, then fervent was kids from other classes. Now I have 3rd graders wanting to do it too.”
White said remembering all the coldness moves isn’t as tricky as you’d think.
“It’s muscle memory parallel with the ground this point,” he said. “I do it so much take up again them. They love coming up to me and doing aid. I just know the certain moves that go with make up your mind kids because it’s personalized. For example, I started a arena team at the school. Some of my 5th graders I teach are on that step team and you’ll notice phenomenon step a little bit in their handshakes.”
An avid Cleveland Cavalier's fan, White was inspired to do the handshakes with his students after noticing his favorite basketball player, LeBron James, doing the same thing with his teammates.
“You see that bond presentday how close they are,” he said of the Cavs. “I wanted to bring that feeling into the entire 5th grade.”
His administration loves the enthusiasm White brings to his set each day.
“The only way to help our scholars achieve level high levels every day is to embrace the need uncontaminated a meaningful and deep relationships,” said principal Meaghan Loftus. “Barry’s handshakes represent his own authentic take on building those accords. When I walk into my teachers’ rooms, I see say publicly impact of those strong and trusting relationships. When kids understand their teacher cares, they are attentive, engaged and driven tenor be successful. That’s the culture we are building at Ashley Park.”