CAN A DRESS SAVE THE WORLD?

This is the question Bess Hayles asks her students each December.

As a high school teacher in the Kansas City area, Hayles heard about Dressember in 2018 and decided to try it out. The idea is simple, women commit to wearing dresses every day (men wear ties) in December to raise awareness and money to fight against human trafficking.

Knowing that the winter break from school meant lots of pajamas and laziness, Bess decided to wear the same dress every school day in December instead of committing to every calendar day. Each school day in December, she started class by sharing the story of a child saved from trafficking thanks to the groups that Dressember gives to. She found it was a great way to talk about geography, hope, and determination in French. She raised funds through Facebook and Twitter posts. Every day, the students were excited to see how much her friends and family had donated to the cause. This year, the students even started handing her their leftover lunch money because they were inspired by the survivors’ stories. All told, the students and Madame Hayles raised $894.82 for Dressember2019.

The money goes to a group of organizations that work on the front lines to stop human trafficking and rescue people already in it. Go to https://www.dressember2019.org/fundraiser/bess-hayles  and donate if you want or visit dressember2019.org for more details on how you could do something similar!

We at TPRS Books are proud to recognize Bess Hayles as the TPRS Teacher of the Month!

For some great content, read her professional reflection blog and follow her on Twitter!

Interested in nominating someone?

Email: craig@tprsbooks.com with your nomination!