This month we are challenging our you to document your life. Each morning we post a daily mini-challenge on GOOD.is, Twitter, and Tumblr, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who’s already completed it.
Today, we asked our community to document autumn. Here is a roundup of some of our favorite photos the GOOD community shared with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
Join us tomorrow, when we challenge you to document something funny.
Once you’ve snapped a photo, be sure to share it with us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook by using the hashtag #30DaysofGOOD. We will then post a roundup of your images later that day.
Teachers are trained to expect the unexpected. One day, Alissa, a history teacher who posts on TikTok under the name @teachinginstyle, looked out the window of her high school classroom and noticed a pair of bare feet hanging from a school bench.
She knew something wasn’t right. In a split-second decision most teachers hope they’ll never have to make, she locked her classroom door. Then Alissa called the school’s safety number, which nearly triggered a lockdown.
“One: stranger danger,” she explained in a video. “And two, I have a room full of sixteen-year-olds that I need to keep safe.”
A pair of unfamiliar, bare adult feet resting on a school bench is enough to warrant further investigation by any responsible teacher.
“Outside my classroom, there were these wooden benches. And kids would sit there during break,” she continued. “My class was quietly working, and I glance outside, and I see a pair of bare feet. Like just feet, sticking out from the bench.”
Wondering whether it was a student and if they were okay, she headed outside to investigate, only to find an unfamiliar adult asleep on the bench. Immediately frightened, she recalled, “Three things come to mind. One: Are they alive? Two: Why is there a random adult on campus? And three: Oh my God, are we going to have to go on lockdown?”
Alissa locked her classroom door and called the safety number, describing the situation over the phone. It turns out the feet belonged to a substitute teacher. She concluded, “It was a sub—a substitute teacher—taking a nap on the bench, like wanting to get some sun on the dogs (their bare feet). Oops. How was I supposed to know that?”
Viewers had mixed opinions about Alissa’s story. Some thought she did the right thing, while others were more concerned about the substitute teacher’s behavior. Here are some of the comments:
“I would do the same…”
“OK, but as a sub, I could never imagine taking a nap.”
“not just any nap, a nap on a bench with your shoes off”
“You are 100”
“What on EARTH????”
“there is NOT enough diet coke to handle this..”
“I think anybody would’ve done the same thing in that situation”
A school building on a sunny day. Photo credit: Canva
Prepared for school safety
To prepare for the unexpected, teachers must go through training. A 2025 study analyzed a training program designed to help teachers and staff prepare for emergencies. The results showed that participants felt more psychologically prepared and ready to handle a crisis.
It’s important for students to feel safe and prepared, too. But do the drills help, or do they cause more problems for kids? A 2023 study found that 27% of children said the drills made them anxious. Overall, caregivers still supported the preparation, even though some kids felt uncomfortable.
A teacher talks with students. Photo credit: Canva
The substitute teacher’s bare-feet fiasco turned out to be far less dangerous than it first appeared, but it highlights a real challenge teachers face every day. Alissa’s story is a lighthearted reminder of the serious nature of school preparedness, though sometimes there can be a surprisingly simple explanation.
Anyone with concerns about handling different kinds of disasters can visit the FEMA website, where many free preparedness videos are available.
A middle school teacher, Mr. Lindsay, chaperoned his son’s kindergarten field trip to the zoo. He explains in his TikTok video 3 funny moments that perfectly capture how little kids think. If you ever need proof that young kids see the world a little differently, just listen to what they have to say on this…
A middle school teacher, Mr. Lindsay, chaperoned his son’s kindergarten field trip to the zoo. He explains in his TikTok video 3 funny moments that perfectly capture how little kids think.
If you ever need proof that young kids see the world a little differently, just listen to what they have to say on this field trip. From a silly animal mix-up to a candid family comment, this recap by Lindsay captures why kindergarteners are some of the funniest storytellers on earth.
Lindsay describes the first experience, “A kid walks up to me, and he goes, ‘Mr. Lindsay, I can’t wait to see the leprechauns.’” Lindsay responds that the zoo doesn’t have leprechauns, to which the kindergartener says, “No, I’m serious, the leprechauns. The ones with the spots.” The child was talking about the leopards.
A pretty cute mistake that commonly occurs with younger children. They often reshape unfamiliar words to fit sound patterns they already know. A 2023 study of speech-sound substitution in the National Library of Medicine explained that the near matches of words can be termed “markedness.” The simple mistakes gradually end after they gain better control of their mouth.
Boy plays in a kindergarten playground tunnel. Photo credit Canva
My Stepdad Is Much Younger
In the second story, a kindergartner walks up saying that he is thirsty. Lindsay suggests getting some water when the kid suddenly stops, stares, and says, “My one dad is 53, but my other dad, who’s my stepdad, is 21.” Lindsay offers a surprised look to the camera after recounting the unexpected honest exchange.
A 2024 study in Nature Human Behaviour reported that researchers studied kindergarten students to see whether trust would encourage honesty. They found that kids who were shown trust cheated less often. The research suggests that when adults instill trust in young people, they can encourage greater honesty.
Kids on a field trip walk in a straight line. Photo credit Canva
Gross And Unfortunately Familiar
In the third story, when he catches one of the kindergartners picking his nose, Lindsay tells the child not to do that. The kid then wipes the booger on the ground and exclaims, “Well, I wiped it on the ground. It’s natural.” Yikes. Lindsay wraps the video saying, “So, not much different than teaching middle schoolers, but some good moments.”
Kindergarten-aged kids are still learning basic hygiene habits. A 2024 review in the National Library of Medicine found kids were especially vulnerable to infections because of poor hygiene. Teaching healthy practices like hand washing, body hygiene, and oral care in school helped children stay healthier.
There were some cute comments from fellow TikTokers who appreciated the stories and added a few of their own:
“My son started kindergarten in the fall of 2020 so it was it all virtual on google meets. There was a kid in his class that would occasionally pop on camera in a Batman costume and say ‘I’m Batman.’ It was hilarious.”
“Bless Kindergartner teachers- hardest job of them all!”
“And this is why I teach kindergarten.”
“One of my pre-k students came over to me during indoor recess, I thought the kid need help or someone hit him, he was making a face, when I asked ‘What’s wrong’ he gave a serious look and proceeds to tell me ‘I just needed to fart’ it was a nasty one”
“Yup, sounds like kindergarteners! “
Kindergarteners may not always know the right thing to say, but they certainly can say the honest thing. It’s a good reminder that teaching young kids means being ready for absolutely anything. Lindsay’s video offers a fun way to remind us.
Most voicemail messages are often immediately deleted after a person listens and gets the gist. “Remember to get milk.” “Calling to check on your assignment.” “You are pre-qualified for a personal loan.” Quick and disposable. However, there are some voicemails that are too good or too important to delete. A poster on Reddit asked the…
Most voicemail messages are often immediately deleted after a person listens and gets the gist. “Remember to get milk.” “Calling to check on your assignment.” “You are pre-qualified for a personal loan.” Quick and disposable. However, there are some voicemails that are too good or too important to delete.
“Does anyone else keep voicemails? I have so many I can’t delete. My favorite is my son in 2016 telling me in the sweetest little boy voice that he took a Lunchable out of the fridge and ate it even though it wasn’t lunch time. It may be the best voicemail I have ever heard.”
Funny or heartbreaking, each voicemail was important to the recipient
The commenters jumped in to discuss the important voicemails in their life that they’ll keep for as long as possible:
“I have one of my grandma and grandpa wishing me a happy birthday. I’m never deleting that.”
“I still have one from my friend’s little brother who left me a voicemail just to say he missed me. I was sick and stuck at home at the time and it genuinely made my whole day.”
“One of mine is just my friend laughing uncontrollably at something dumb I said and I refuse to delete it because it still makes me smile every time I hear it.”
10/10 recommend saving voicemails from those you love❤️ 8 years today. Listening to this voicemail never gets easier, but it reminds me of how loved I was by you, Dad. What i’d give for just one more moment with you. #griefjourney#grief
“I have one from the sheriff’s office when my brake line blew somewhere down a mountain in Kentucky and my phone was dying, and my friend was frantically trying to help me 😂 Makes me laugh.”
“I have one from a friend who just came out of surgery, still doped up, demanding I help her acquire a pet duck. It was too random to delete.”
“My mom died two years ago. I have a voicemail of her singing “Soft Kitty” from Big Bang Theory. I can’t bring myself to listen to it but I’ll be damned if I ever delete it.”
“I have a birthday call from my Uncle Lyn, my parents’ best friend. It was the last birthday message I got from him before he passed away, and though I’m still sad I missed his call, at this point I’m glad I missed it too, cuz now I have it on a recording forever.”
“I’ve saved all the voicemails from my mom. They’re mostly her telling me what food she’s cooked and that I should come over and pick some up. She was taken off life support three days ago.”
“I have multiple voicemails from my mom 15 years ago. She had dementia and it just says, ‘It’s your mom, if you’re there pick up… Pick up, pick up, pick up. Okay well I love you, call me, bye.’”
“My favorite voicemail that I refuse to delete is from my youngest child. Been saving it since June 2021. Any time I want I get to hear that darling voice say, ‘OK mom I just wanted to ask if I can have a cheese stick and also I have a song – music and lyrics by me. It’s called ‘The Cheese Song’. Pizza mozza-rella, pizza mozza-rella, la la la la la la. Pizza mozza-rella, pizza mozza-rella, la la la la la la. OK, love you. Have a great day. Byeeee.’ 🥹 That baby can have all the cheese sticks forever!”
“I have one saved from my son when he was five: ‘Daddy? When is… when you back from work? And you know what? I… I will always be there for you.’ And one of my three year old daughter meowing to herself (recorded over the babyphone) long after bed time.”
“I have one saved from my daughter from a couple of years ago. She starts the message by singing MAMA OOH OOOOH in the tune of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and then asks if she should leave the heating on because she’s going out soon.”
How can I save my voicemails permanently?
Many of the commenters lamented about losing some treasured voicemails, wishing they had known how to keep them. Fortunately, there are ways to help permanently save voicemails as back-ups. It’s good to do in case you lose your phone, switch cell phone providers, or delete them from your phone by accident. Depending on your device, you can save voicemails in the cloud, transfer them to a computer or other hard drive, or email them to yourself, too.
Among all of the voicemails from work or telemarketers, there are some “audio photographs” worth keeping. Whether it’s of a specific person or event that you wish to revisit and hear again. I can be important to hold onto them, especially if the recorded voice on the other end is someone that is no longer with us or a time capsule of a younger version of someone you love.
