Kindness — Lessons Anyone Can Teach

Without compassion, reading, writing, and arithmetic lose value

As a teacher for 34 years my job description said I taught English, but when asked, my favorite response was, “I teacher children.” During these turbulent times, youth is feeling an increase of stress in daily life activities. Parents, educators, and adults who support the emotional wellness of our kids will find benefits in the investment of time — investment in youth.

Adults who promote kindness, build respect, teach youth to be accepting, tolerant, and kind. Think about how you can help. You don’t have to be a teacher to share a positive message.

Operation Respect is one resource to access. It has been around for years and was founded by Peter Yarrow of the classic musical group Peter, Paul and Mary. With other professionals, lesson plan materials, research, books, videos, etc. have been developed and made available to establish an inclusive learning environment. I have used these resources for the last 20 years with students and adults. After showing the above video to audiences of all ages, the responses have been sobering and compassionate dialogues have followed. Materials can be accessed for free at the Operation Respect webpage.

How can you support kindness in your community?

This past week I entered a Starbucks and was greeted with a bulletin board of positive messages. Customers were provided 2X2 post-it notes to write encouraging words. I stood sipping my drink and reading for several minutes and felt happier in the process.

When you come in contact with others take a moment to show kindness, in fact, embrace opportunities to celebrate kindness. Our interactions with others allow us to demonstrate the art of being human. When time allows intentionally plan activities with loved that focus on kindness.

• Create a tree on a wall in your home and have apples depict what your family is thankful for. Begin with a bare tree and add an apple with a child’s name and state a positive behavior or share random acts of kindness. This is a powerful message to share and a beautiful way to reward children.
• Read The Giving Tree. After reading the story, discuss how the tree “gave” and define friendship.

• Have a kindness scavenger hunt. Record events of kindness as they are observed.
• Gather a collection of kindness stories and read them periodically at bedtime.
• Make origami PEACE CRANES and discuss their significance. This link demonstrates how this is done.

• Get plastic sacks from the grocery store. Tape or staple inspiration quotes on them and then return them to the stores to be used by patrons.
• Create a Kindness Bulletin Board in the classroom. With the class brainstorm ideas of kind things students can do for others. Write the ideas on the board and when a student does one, they write their name on the board.
• Provide a place for students to report acts of kindness. Then each day announce the action to the class, OR put a sign on the student's locker with two hands that explains the act of kindness, OR present the student with a certificate.
• Write letters to veterans.
• Get paper bags from local grocery stores. Decorate them to promote kindness and then return them to the store to be used by patrons.
• Send thank you letters to police stations, hospitals, fire stations, nursing homes, etc.

Classroom lesson activities that promote kindness

If you are a teacher, think about how you can incorporate kindness activities into the classroom.

• Assign a current event assignment to be an event in the news that demonstrates kindness.
• Create a puzzle mosaic with each piece representing a different student’s strength.
• Research how kindness is displayed and interpreted in other countries/cultures.
• Journal about random acts of kindness.
• Have students write a slip each week of the month about something they did nice for someone else and then hand them back later in the year.
• Discuss cyber-bullying, computer and/or texting etiquette.
• Discuss conflict management strategies as they relate to something being studied in the curriculum. (i.e. current events, life skills, literature, etc.)

What have you done today that demonstrates compassion?

Seek first to understand

Before we can show true empathy, we must understand the person beside us. Since retiring, I’ve started writing. Recently, I’ve published a book that grew out of my experiences with teens. It allows readers a glimpse into the thoughts of teenagers. Lockers Speak is available on Amazon.

Come and write with us at Spread the Ripple.

This story was brought to you by Spread the Ripple. We are a publication dedicated to kindness. Kindness is our superpower. Read more stories and come and write with us here: