LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Joseph Hastings was nominated by Amanda Flannery, the parent of a student.

"Mr. Hastings is a bright light. He is someone who we will never forget," said Flannery. "My sweet nine-year old son, Brackstin, has a lazy eye, He is very, very conscious about it. When he was in first grade, he had a patch he had to wear sporadically. He was a quiet kid who cried when we would go to the eye doctor's office and learn that he had to get the patch and had to wear it to school."

"Fast forward to third grade, and Brackstin didn't have to wear the patch," said Flannery. "In fourth grade, he had to wear special glasses that change every three months, and his lazy eye came back. It was apparent, and the doctors considered surgery. Brackstin would cry daily the first week of school, until he got to know his "bright, positive light," Mr. Hastings!

"Mr. Hastings was a cheerleader in college. He's also a cheerleader in his classroom," said Flannery. "He has a rule which we quote at home and have used at my own office: We use our mouth to say positive things, we use our hands to write positive things, and we use our brains to create positive things. He starts the day like this. When students walk into his classroom, they each have a special hand shake, including Brackstin."

"Brackstin told me 'Mr. Hastings has full control. He doesn't allow his students to show up with a negative attitude. He teaches us students about more than academics. I love school,'" said Flannery. "As a mom, this was the most insane, magical moment I got. I will never forget that afternoon. I pulled over into an old Sears parking lot, reached backwards, and hugged Brackstin. He said, 'This is going to be my best year.'"

"Mr. Hastings changed his life that day," said Flannery. "Brackstin became so talkative and has flourished during COVID-19. He has had new friends come over and went from having no self-confidence to having some. He's coming into himself because of the kindness and investment in life skills shown by Mr. Hastings."

"One of Mr. Hastings' other sayings is, 'We all have a battle. Don't be someone's battle in this class,'" said Flannery. "Brackstin had a big battle, but he also had a great hero. Mr. Hastings did not stop there. Brackstin got in the car a few short weeks later and said, 'Mom we had the coolest math lesson today. We got to do fractions with pie and pizza slices (laminated ones).' He is constantly in awe of the amazing teacher that Mr. Hastings is! His energy, empathy, and engagement has brightened my son's life forever. I know he does this for each student whose life he touches. He goes above and beyond, and I will forever be grateful."