LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Madison Kindle was nominated by a parent of a student, Michelle Serrano. 

"Ms. Kindle is a blessing. She has literally impacted my son's life so much that I don't even know how to put into words the change I have seen in him," said Serrano.

"My son started first grade after taking kindergarten twice. He has severe social anxiety to the point where he clams up around people and shuts down. Despite that, he is very sweet, caring, and kind to others, and very well-behaved at school. When he started first grade in August, he was actually placed with another first-grade teacher. At the beginning of October, I started to notice changes in my son, where he was saying strange things about having nightmares and monsters, and also not wanting to go to school. A serious incident occurred, and with the principal's help, a solution was discussed to have him move to another class - Ms. Kindle's class," said Serrano.

"At this time, he was receiving help, but also did not want to go to school at all. When I met with Ms. Kindle, she was the sweetest person I had ever met. I knew she had my son's best interest at heart from the very first meeting. During the first week she had my son in her class, I would see her every day, and she would tell me, in front of him, how sweet, kind, and helpful he was, how much she loved having him in her class, and how amazing he was. I loved that she did that in front of him and the other parents as I picked him up, because I could see from his face how much he appreciated it. He would tell me how much he loved her and how nice she was," said Serrano.

"After three weeks, he wasn't telling me he didn't want to go to school anymore; he would tell me he wanted to go to see Ms. Kindle. She made him feel loved, safe, and special every day by telling him how kind and helpful he is, and even though she has 23 students, she makes him feel like he is the only one. I started seeing his normal self come out more and more, and he started loving going to school and being in Ms. Kindle's class," said Serrano.

"When I tell you this woman has given me my son back, it just makes me cry. I know that without her and her personality and how she is with children, especially my son, he would be a totally different person. At the end of December, I wanted to get her a few things to let her know how much she means to my son and me, and we also wrote her a letter. The letter let her know that, basically, she has been my son's guardian angel, guiding him through school and giving me my son back, and I'm thankful I have her in my son's life as his teacher," said Serrano.

"The thing that touched me the most was the email she had sent me regarding my letter. She said, 'I wanted to let you know how appreciative I am of you and your son. The gifts are so so kind, but I absolutely loved your letter. It means so much to me. I love having him and can see his potential. He is so sweet, caring, sensitive, and helpful. He stands out to me from other kids in those ways. As a teacher with so many kids, I can get discouraged at times because I always feel like I'm not doing enough. Your kind words mean more than you know and reassure me I'm in the right place. I love having your support, and we will get him to the right place together. He will do great things, and most importantly, he is a good person. Please always reach out if you need anything. With love, Ms. Kindle.' This letter shows just how amazing she really is, not only to my son, but just as a teacher and a human," said Serrano.

"I know a couple of the other moms of students in her class, and they say the same thing about how caring she is and good with the students. She is the teacher the kids listen to without her ever having to raise her voice or get stern. My son says she has never raised her voice at any students because she is too nice. Having that kind of interaction is so nurturing for students and much more effective," said Serrano.

"Ms. Kindle is owed the world for what she has done mentally for my son, and if even one small reward can go to her to let her and the world know she changed at least one student's life in a major way mentally, then she is the one who deserves that. Her compassion is unmatched, and she definitely deserves everything positive in life. There are so many cases surrounding mental health in children that aren't talked about enough, and the fear of that was in me for my son. Without Ms. Kindle and her kindness, helpfulness, and attentiveness to my son, I fear how things might have turned out. She is definitely a LifeChanger," said Serrano.