Instructions:
- Read article.
- Watch the video- click on the link on the blog.
- Underline anything that is interesting to you or helps you answer the prompts to the right of the article.
- Write the article citation in bibliography format (bottom of article): ***New Formats, look at citation box for format
How Opening Doors Changed This Teen’s Life
Leigh Weingus
The Huffington Post
January 23, 2015
Bullying is a serious problem. According to Family First Aid,nearly 30 percent of teens in the U.S. are estimated to be involved in school bullying, whether they’re being bullied or doing the bullying.
Josh Yandt, who lives in London, Ontario, was no exception. And after being bullied for years, he decided to make one simple tweak when he transferred schools:He started opening doors for his classmates.
“The first few weeks when I started doing it they were kind of shocked,”he explains in a video for West Jet’s Above & Beyond, a series that shares the stories of inspirational Canadians. “Not many people hold doors, right? But after that, people started to open up to me. Opening a door is more than a physical act, it’s about putting yourself out there, getting to know people, making them feel comfortable, making them feel welcome. Opening doors gives people hope that people care.”
Holding the door for his classmates changed everything for Yandt, and now he has more friends than he can count.
“People just love what I do.Every day people always say ‘thank you,’people smile, and it’s really great,” he told Canada’s CBC news as classmates clapped him on the back, said thanks, or gave a hello as they passed by in the hallway.
The story doesn’t end there. Yandt was crowned prom king, and he’s taken on speaking engagements, sharing his story with younger students.
“I would have never thought he would be a public speaker because he had been so shy,” his mom said. “But he took to public speaking like a duck to water.” / Watch the short video at this link:
What is the message the author wants you to understand from the article and the video?
What connection did you make with the article? What connection did you make with the video?
What is the author’s point of view on the issue?
Bibliography Citation:
Format for Magazine Article: Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine, Day Month Year.
Format for Online Video: Author Name/Poster’s Username. “Title of Video.” Online video clip. Name of Website. Name of Website’s publisher, date posted. Web. Date accessed.