Kindness
This poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sums it up:
“Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden, and keep out the weeds. Fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.”
The etymology and meaning of kind is ”class, sort, variety,” from Old English gecynd “kind, nature, race,” related to cynn “family” (kin)
Kind, kindred, kindergarten, kin…all related.
This is how school should be. This is how the world should be.
It should be our nature, part of our race, part of our family, part of the class.
I long to see more kindness toward each other. All of the stress in the classroom is causing there to be more unkind thoughts, words and deeds.
But I don’t believe that there are unkind hearts…in children or in their teachers.
I just think the pressure and the stress are causing all of us to think, say and do things that are not coming from the heart, but rather, from the mind. A mind that is flooded with cortisol and anxiety and fear and anger and made-up stories and perceptions that are being created from the negative input from social media, television, news, music, violent video games, unreasonable and unreal expectations, etc.
What should kindness look like in the classroom?
Kindness in the classroom looks like…
…a teacher who tapes two quarters under a student’s desk so that they can buy ice cream like their buddies at lunch and won’t feel left out or made fun of.
…a student who tells another student that it is okay that he got the answer wrong and encourages him to try again, reassuring him that they will help them.
…a teacher who makes copies of papers for those students who are still virtual, yet don’t have the means to print their own papers at home.
…a student who goes over and sits next to another student who is sitting alone at lunch and begins a conversation with “hi! what’s your name?”
…a teacher who listens to highly sensitive, heart-breaking information of trauma at home and goes out of her way to show that student that they are loved and wanted every day at school.
…a student who shares their snack with another student who doesn’t have any.
…a teacher who notices a student can’t see the board very well and makes sure to get that student the services s/he/they need to get glasses for free
…a student who gives another student a hug when they are having a bad day.
…a teacher who sees a colleague is struggling and stops by after school to check on them and ask how they are or brings them chocolate and a smile.
…a student who tells the teacher how much they appreciate all that the teacher does and brings them a hand-made card or drawing or a flower.
…a teacher or a student who notices when someone else has done something kind and notices and compliments that person or just sends them a warm smile from their heart.
Kindness is highly contagious, but we don’t want to become immune to kindness.
With all that is going on in the classroom these days that is overwhelming, that creates enormous pressure and anxiety and that feels like your hair is on fire and that you are having to do somersaults through fiery hoops every minute of the day…
Just remember…kindness. It happens every day, but it gets lost in the other things because we thing the other things are big things and that the kind things are little things.
It is just the opposite. Kindness is the BIG thing every day in the classroom. All the other “stuff” are little things.
We always remember the kind words, kind thoughts and kind deeds in our kind hearts.
They also will always erase the unkind words, unkind thoughts and the unkind deeds written on the blackboard of life.
THAT is the true power of teaching! Keep those kindness best practices flowing…today, tomorrow and into the future of your students. YOU make a difference every day in the life of a child and in the world in which we all live!
Suggestion: Add this to your daily lesson plans: My kind thoughts today will be: My kind words for today will be: My kind deeds for today will be: My kind heart for today will feel:
Inspirational songs:
Sesame Street: Songs about kindness
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