Every Friday since September, Evergreen Avenue Elementary School principal Tom Braddock visits around 15 of his students’ homes. It’s his first year as principal here and his goal is to get to each of his 296 pre-K to fifth grade kids’ houses by the end of the school year. So far, he’s made 240 house calls!
The Woodbury, New Jersey students actually look forward to his home visits because it means their teachers picked them to receive a Stand Out Student award, which comes with a pencil that reads “My principal is proud of me.” Braddock says, “You’d think I was Santa Claus or a celebrity coming to their home.”
"I look through a very different lens now after going to all of their homes. It's not only opened my heart, but opened my mind," the principal explains. "It's allowed me to look at each child in a much more loving and understanding way."
Source: USA Today