All season long,
we have been introducing you to amazing educators who are changing kids' lives.
Our next guest is no exception.
He starts every class with a mantra to get his students ready for the day.
Take a look.
>> I am number one.
>> I have everything it takes to be number one.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Scholarship.
>> Scholarship. >> Scholarship.
>> Scholarship.
>> We all get.
>> Scholarship.
>> We all get- >> Scholarships.
>> Yeah!
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Welcome Michael Scruggs.
You're a fantastic human being.
You start everyday with a mantra and you've been doing this everyday for
eight years.
>> Everyday for the past eight years.
Now mind you, I have six classes and I teach high school,
so I'm running around all day long.
>> Six times a day.
>> Six times a day is the best way to get some exercise, some cardio in.
>> Sure is.
>> Yes. >> You should make them run with you,
you should have a chain.
>> Let me tell you this, now some of them will jump up and run behind me.
>> Good. >> And I'm like hey,
get it all out now cuz when instruction time come, I want you sitting down and
paying attention.
>> Yeah. >> So it's all good.
>> So you wanted to get that out there because they will take that in and
they will remember those words and I think our thoughts create energy.
>> Most definitely, the power of life and death is in your tongue and
what you speak shall come to pass.
My thing is, I want my students to know, not everyone can be the number one lawyer,
the number one doctor, number one police officer.
But whatever you put your mind to, you can be the best at anything you can do.
And to see now, my former students who are firefighters,
who are teachers, who are in the professional world.
Have graduated from college, and
they still recite this and they believe that they're number one.
Believe me, something big is happening and I am excited.
>> Yeah, yeah. >> [APPLAUSE]
>> Yeah, yeah.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> You've got that energy.
>> I love it.
>> Listen, it's good for all of us to hear those words, but especially those
students cuz they come from families and neighborhoods that are really tricky.
And so even more so for them, right?
>> Right, you would be surprised,
a lot of people would be surprised at what teachers see every day.
I tell people all the time, teaching is a calling.
You have to realize that you have to be selfless.
And I have students who come from some bad neighborhoods, and
who come from bad homes.
And I could even attest to that, because I grew up in the inner city.
I grew up in a single-parent household, and for them to see their teacher
who has a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and I can relate to them.
It gives them hope that hey, if he can do it, I can do it too.
>> Yeah, you took two students that- >> [APPLAUSE]
>> This is what's really spectacular.
I mean, everything that you're doing is, but
there are two students that you actually drove to college.
You helped them out?
>> I had some former students of mine who, they didn't know they could go to college.
And somebody would be like, they don't know they can go to college and
they're seniors.
They didn't know they could go to college.
What I did, I will host ACT workshops, I will do financial aid workshops,
just to teach them, hey, you can go to school.
You can apply for school, you can apply for college.
And to see them get in, that's the most amazing thing in the world,
and four years later, to go to graduations.
Now that's amazing to me.
>> Yeah, that must feel really good.
>> It does.
>> I would love, actually you know what, I want to meet one of your students.
Kylen come on out here.
>> My God!
>> [APPLAUSE] >> My God!
>> [APPLAUSE] >> My God.
My God.
>> Hi there.
>> How you doing, Ellen?
>> I'm good, how are you doing?
>> I'm great, nice to finally meet you.
>> All right.
>> My God, that is crazy.
That is crazy.
>> Yeah.
>> [LAUGH] >> Yeah, Kylen's here.
>> Man, my boy is here.
>> Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I'm here.
>> That's crazy.
>> What year were you in class with him?
>> Back in 2010, so about seven years ago.
I was in Scruggs' 12th grade US History class.
>> And he's the reason you went to college.
>> Yes, he was a big factor in me going to college.
He was always in my ear from my 12th grade year cuz I was not the most motivated
student- >> At all.
>> In school [LAUGH] I was not the most motivated person in school.
And Scruggs was always in my ear, especially with his motto,
you are number one, you have everything it takes to be number one.
And it always stuck with me.
And Scruggs always kept his hands on me and made sure that I was okay and
I had everything that I needed.
Even when it came to college, gave me a wonderful recommendation letter, supplies,
anything that I needed.
Even offered to drive me to school several times.
>> Yeah. >> Unbelievable.
We have to take a break.
We're gonna talk more with you two after this.
We're back with Michael and one of his former students, Kylen, and
is it your wife or your girlfriend in the audience?
>> My girlfriend, Zoe.
>> Hi.
>> Hey there.
>> This is like family though?
>> Yes, Scruggs is a big part of my family.
He knows everybody from my grandma on down to my four-month-old daughter, Chloe.
He calls and makes sure that she's okay and she has everything that she needs.
My grandma makes him his own cookie pudding on holidays.
[LAUGH] That's how I know he's family right there.
>> Cookie pudding.
[LAUGH].
That sounds good.
>> It's the best, it's the best.
>> That sounds very, very good right now, cookie pudding.
>> Yes.
>> Michael, we feel everybody needs more teachers like you.
That's why we like celebrating anytime we find a teacher like this, right?
I mean, this is the most important thing.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> So
Shutterfly cares about supporting teachers who are sharing life's joy and
they want to give you $20,000 so you can continue.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> My God.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> So that's for you.
And Kylen, you mentioned you have a baby girl.
>> Yes.
>> She's four months old.
>> Chloe, yes, ma'am.
>> We have our Mother's Day show that unfortunately you missed.
But we gave away thousands and thousands of dollars of baby gifts for Mother's Day.
We're gonna give you every single thing that we gave away for Mother's Day.
>> Wow. >> [APPLAUSE]