School started back last week at Kindezi at Gideons Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia and wanted one teacher wanted her students to start the year on a positive note.

In a now viral video Neffiteria Acker, a fourth-grade teacher, is shown holding a mirror while students say positive affirmations to themselves.

“I practice positive affirmations with myself in the morning. I practice them with my daughter who’s five years old, and, I’ve seen just a tremendous amount of confidence and self-value increase with her,” Acker told FOX Television Stations. “So, I decided to do it with our students.”

The footage was recorded by Cierra Broadway, another teacher at the school, who also did similar affirmation exercises with her students before the pandemic.

“I just felt literal chills when I heard them saying these things that they came up with on their own,” Broadway said.

Acker says she has asked her students for feedback on the affirmation exercises.

“They were like ‘I was nervous at first because I don’t like talking in front of a bunch of people, but after I did it, it just made me feel very happy and proud of myself,’” Acker shared. “Hearing them speak that life and love into themselves. It was emotional.”

“A lot of the time, the only love and positive affirmation that they do receive is from us, teachers. So, it makes us feel really good to know that we are indeed making a difference,” Broadway continued.

Some of the students told Acker that they do the exercise at home now, since doing them at school.

“I hope they get a sense of self-love, self-awareness, self-confidence, so no matter what someone says, no matter what someone does, no matter how badly the world tries to tear you down, we believe in you,” Acker said.

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