- Before we go, I have one more story to share that I love,
a lesson from one classroom
all about celebrating good over evil.
This is what I'm liking.
(upbeat music)
Dan Gill is a middle school teacher
in Montclair, New Jersey.
He's taught for 52 years and one
of his most important lessons doesn't come from a textbook.
It's from this empty chair he keeps in his classroom.
What does it mean?
Well, let's bring in Mr. Gill
watching on NBC four New York to explain it.
Hello? Hi, Mr.
- Gill.
- Hi Kelly.
Thank you for having me on the show.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Absolutely. I am honored
to have you on the show, man.
I'm so excited to share this story with everybody.
First of all, thank you for being a teacher.
You are angels walking on this planet.
(crowd cheering)
But also, please tell everybody
about the chair in your room.
- Yeah, so the, it, it all starts
with a birthday party that I was invited
to along with one of my friends who was named Archie
and he was an African American.
And when we arrived at the party the woman
who's the mother of the student
looked at us very carefully when after she opened the door
and she said that I could go in, but that Archie couldn't.
And like I was stunned because I, I said, Why
why can't we go in?
And she said, Well, we have no more chairs.
And I said, Well, I've been
to your house a lot and I was nine years old
at the time, and this is in New York City.
And I said, you have plenty
of chairs and even if you don't, I'll sit on the floor.
And she said, no, you don't understand.
You can come in.
Archie can't
because there are no more chairs; at that moment,
like, I understood, you know, what the code words meant
and I felt so bad,
and to see my
one of my good friends humiliated and
you know this was an apartment house.
We went down the elevator seven floors down and big
big tears were welling up in our eyes and we went back
to my house where obviously we have enough chairs.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Oh man, that is, I love that.
Do you, do you explain
to your students why that chair is there in your classroom?
Do you tell them that story? 'Cause it's so important.
- Yeah. Absolutely.
And one of the difficult things is that a teacher has is how
do you connect, especially when you teach history
how do you connect the students in your class
to the history that you teach?
And, and I think personal stories do that for them, and
what it really represents for them, and I keep
on emphasizing it, is the, the opportunity you have to
come to a free public school to get a good education
and to have empathy for those people who, who need to
be advocated for and to, to, to have a charitable spirit
towards all who come in this room with anticipation
seeking that opportunity.
- Yeah.
- [Dan Gill] And, and that-
- Absolutely. Oh my gosh, thank you so much just
for first of all, existing, what a great heart you have
and what a great teach you all to all of us.
We're now in your classroom learning.
That was so cool Mr. Gill, thank you.
I'm liking your post right now.
And that's not all our season long.
Partner pilot pin makers of g2,
the go-to pin of the Kelly Clarkson Show,
want to celebrate teachers
like you whose impact on students is immeasurable.
So they're gonna give you a thousand dollars just
for being you.
- That's great.
I shouldn't love it.
- Ah, thank you so much Mr. Gill.
And thank you to all our guests this hour.
Carrie, Washington, Charlize Theron, Sophia Anne Caruso,
Salman Janani, Sophia Wiley, Paul Feig,
and y'all have a great day and if it's not,
try and change it.