homeless teenager nick wood shows courage everyday

Homeless Teenager Nick Wood Shows Courage Every Day

By Kevin Conklin

Nick Wood is an inspirational teenager. He is homeless, but he doesn’t let his circumstances bring him down. In fact, he finds a way to thrive in a new school and environment. He does so with the help of a thoughtful football coach and because he wants to create a better life for himself. Additional Resources: Here is an article that…

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NBA Player Takes a 13-year-old Ball Boy's Advice to Heart

By Kevin Conklin

Terrence Williams is an NBA player for the New Jersey Nets. Recently, he learned a valuable lesson when he did a stint with the Nets D league affiliate. He was sent there as a punishment for being late to practice and meetings. Sometimes it’s easy to lose your perspective on how furtunate you are. But luckily…

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john wood left microsoft to change the world by building libraries in third world countries

John Wood Left Microsoft to Change the World by Building Libraries in Third World Countries

By Kevin Conklin

In 1998, John Wood was a Microsoft executive when he took a vacation that changed his life forever. The vacation started as a trekking holiday in Nepal, but it became a spiritual journey and then a mission. John decided he wanted to change the world one book and one child at a time by setting up libraries in the developing…

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Handicapped Band Staff Benda Bilili Inspires the World

By Michael Stutman

Imagine that you live in one of the poorest countries on earth. Now imagine that you are also a paraplegic and live on the grounds of a zoo. What do you do? You focus on your abilities! Staff Benda Bilili is a band in Congo whose members have various physical ailments. They joined together in 2004 to focus on…

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How Much Joy Can a Bike Bring To A Child in Need? Ask Dan Austin, Founder of 88 Bikes.

By Kevin Conklin

In 2006, Dan Austin and his brother spent two weeks in Cambodia working at a children’s hospital. During that trip, they took a bike ride through the countryside. Then, after they rode, they planned to donate their bikes to the local orphanage. They thought this act of kindness would make a great ending to their Cambodian trip. But after they met the 88…

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tayla kelley dancing her way through life despite illness

Tayla Kelley – Dancing Her Way Through Life Despite Illness

By Michael Stutman

Do you think you have it hard? Tayla Kelley has had it hard for a long time. She has a rare health issue that has kept her in and out of hospitals for much of her life. But still she has a positive outlook, determination and a passion for dancing. Using these, she turns her adversity into inspiration for her…

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Getting Started for Teachers

By inspiredKiD

Here are tips on how to get started using inspiremykids in your classroom and with your children. The people, stories and causes highlighted on our site can be used in many ways in the classroom, whether to support Character Education, Service Learning, Reading, Writing, Technology or Communication curriculum. Explore content based on the pillars of…

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Teacher Welcome

Welcome Teachers and Educators!

By inspiredKiD

Welcome teachers and educators. We are THRILLED to have you visit our site! We originally created inspiremykids.com for our kids, but thought that the content could have relevance in the classroom. Since launching the site (in late 2010), we have had many inspiring teachers embrace what we are doing, use the site effectively in their classrooms…

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10 Inspiring Reasons for You to Start Using inspiremykids.com

By inspiredKiD

1) It’s good for the world and your kids. 2) The site makes it fun for kids to see the pillars and traits of character education in action. 3) Get ideas and inspiration for Service learning projects. 4) Students love it. Really. 5) It’s free and you can use it today. 6) You and your…

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Feedback from the Education Community

By inspiredKiD

Educator Website Feedback InspireMyKids was recently reviewed and highlighted as a Featured Site here by the outstanding and free teacher resource website, TeachersFirst.com.  Among the practical ways their editors envision using InspireMyKids in the classroom: “Share stories from the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector when learning about character traits such as sportsmanship, perseverance, and…

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Davyon Johnson

Davyon Johnson – 11 Year Old Superhero Saves Two People in One Day!

Davyon Johnson, from Muskogee, Oklahoma, doesn’t understand what all the attention is about. In his words, he just “did the right thing.” And while that is true, saving not just one, but two people on the same day is kind of a really big deal. In fact, it is the stuff superheroes are made of!…

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Shirely Raines

Shirley Raines – Bringing Beauty and Hope to The Streets

Shirley Raines makes the homeless community in Los Angeles’s skid row neighborhood feel human. She is the founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, a nonprofit that provides free food, clothing, hair, and makeup services to the homeless. And Shirley is now the CNN Hero of the Year! Who is she and what inspired her to…

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Kentucky First Responders

Kentucky Tornado Heroes – Nature’s Worst Brings Out Humanity’s Best

A recent “Super Tornado” crushed a big area of Kentucky. It was the worst tornado in State history and many people lost their lives. Yet, if not for the Kentucky Tornado Heroes, including first responders, heroic neighbors, and members of nearby towns, things would be much, much worse. As we’ve seen in past tragedies, when…

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Dads On Duty

Dads on Duty – Keeping the Peace; Setting the Example!

Students at Southwood High in Shreveport, Louisiana were not solving their differences peacefully. The police were being called to the school each day. Some children were being arrested. Things kept getting worse. As a dad of an 11th grader Michael La’Fitte did not like what he was seeing. He knew he had to take action….

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Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge – For the World’s Greatest Marathoner, It’s All About Consistency

Eliud Kipchoge, from the African country of Kenya, is the fastest marathon runner in history! He is the only person to run the 26.2 marathon distance in under 2 hours.  As amazing as his athletic accomplishments are, the story of how he has risen to become the best, and where he started, is even more…

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Ben Cloud

16-Year-Old Coffee Entrepreneur Ben Cloud Rises Above

Ben Cloud is a 16-year-old junior at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He is also a successful business owner and an inspiration to other young people in his community and beyond. Ben’s story is one of creativity, perseverance, and proactivity. Let’s explore how this young man took an idea and his…

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Habits Imk Quote

The Power of Habit! Great Habit Quotes For Kids

Habits are a big deal. A habit is defined by Wikipedia as a “settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” Your habits, or rituals, become who you are.  As famous kids author, Sean Covey said “We become what we repeatedly do.” Learn more about habits and then check…

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Stand Out Quote

Quotes for Kids About Comparison and Comparing to Others

We all compare ourselves to each other. It’s human nature. And this is especially true of kids and teenagers. Our goal at InspireMyKids is to help you become the best version our yourself. Some degree of comparison can actually be helpful for this goal. It can help you clarify your beliefs, preferences, and attitudes. And…

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Max Woosey

Max Woosey – 11 Year Old Camps Out 500 Straight Nights to Help Others

Max Woosey, an 11-year-old from the United Kingdom, has spent his time during COVID doing something pretty meaningful.  And hard.  He slept in a tent for over 500 nights in a row.  And he did this not only because he loves the outdoors but in service to others. Who is Max and why did he…

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Harvey Sutton

Harvey Sutton – 5 Year Old Trailblazer Hikes 2000 Mile AT!

What did you do last summer? It is a question many students are asked as they begin the school year. Well, 5 Year Old Harvey Sutton, also known as “Little Man” had quite a story to share with his new Kindergarten classmates this year! Over the summer, and the Spring and Winter for that matter,…

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