Blog Post #1
Co-author Laurie MacIntosh and her husband Cody went on a ten-month giving spree. While you may not have hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ellen to give away, can you see yourself going on a giving spree? What can you give? How will you do it? List all the details!
I have already made it my mission to be kinder to my students. We may not know the reason they are acting or doing the things they are doing. Hopefully, by being kind even when they don't deserve it, they will in turn start treating others the same way. It has been better for them, I have had less discipline issues and it has been better for my health as well. Our students have had many opportunities as they grew up to different programs that encourage and reward kindness. The high school really doesn't have anything where the whole school is involved in a kindness project. Every student is assigned to a homeroom teacher and they meet as a group with that teacher for 30 minutes everyday. In my homeroom, I would like to challenge my students to write positive notes to teachers, other staff or even friends once a week. They could also do something nice for someone else without being asked. I hope to try to start this as we begin a new semester after Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMy whole teaching philosophy (and life honestly) is built around honesty and kindness. I model the behavior of being kind-smiling at a person, greeting someone with a kind comment (its so great to see you; I am so glad you are here), calling people by their names, sitting down with them to talk (even if its under the table on a floor). Modeling this behavior helps create a welcoming, safe environment. When a person is treated kindly, and sees kindness, they are more willing and open to showing the same kindness to others.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is to model kindness by treating my students like I would want my own child to be treated. Additionally, I want to create a simple monthly or weekly challenge for my students to show random acts of kindness. Then we would share and reflect on the challenge. How did their random act of kindness make the recipient feel? How did they feel?
ReplyDeleteWe already have a kindness mission in our school, but I could take it a step further. With our Flyer 5 program, we as teachers choose 1 student every 8 weeks or so that meets the Flyer 5 criteria (kindness, worker, responsibility, enthusiastic, and excellence). They don't have to meet all 5, it could just be one, you then write them a card about how they have met it and they receive a gatorade. I could do this every week, instead of every 8 weeks--which we are designated.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the other comments, I like the idea of random acts of kindness, and perhaps set out for a class to do one every week. Nothing that costs anyone money, but shows them they care.
I think a lot of times we lose our kindness because of frustration and impatience, at least I do. I really need to learn to let things go so I don't get as frustrated. It usually isn't studentts who I get frustrated with, it's life! I really need to let things go and control the things I can. I believe that this will help me to be kinder to the rest of the world. I believe my students see that I am a kind person and that I care about each of them, it's the rest of the world that I need to give grace. WIth the way the world is now, we can definitely use a LOT more kindness and grace.
ReplyDeleteI have already started putting my Kindness mission into action. I have been working on creating connections with different students and I have been trying to ask more questions to colleagues to help grow my relationship with them. I try very hard to see both sides to help empathize with others. I will continue to see if I can get good deals on little trinkets to pass along to my colleagues. I want to make sure that I work on doing a light-up with more students. I try to tell students I missed them when they were gone the day before so they know that someone noticed they were gone.
ReplyDeleteThe kindness mission I would like to do with my students, is something that the teachers actually did last year. we had close pins with kind words on them. When a teacher wasn't looking you would clip the close pin somewhere on them. Eventually they would find this kind message on them, and it would bring a smile to their face. I want to try this exact kindness mission with my students.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading and reflecting on kindness, I became more aware of the areas I greatly need to improve. on. Before I can improve on kindness, I need to make sure that I'm in the correct state of mind. I'm generally a kind person when I have plenty of rest and am not overloaded with thoughts/projects/inside pressures of my own. My kindness mission should begin with taking care of myself with reconnection, rest, joy, and gratitude for what I have. I also believe in reading scripture, which helps to remind us of the previous list. I teach a great group of kids, and they respond the way I respond....so It is very important to demonstrate kindness through my actions of forgiveness, apologizing, and connecting with the kids I teach.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission started 3 years ago. Every Friday once we had finished our weekly art project we would do an activity I called "Bucket Filler Friday's". At the beginning of the year, I read my students the book "How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids" by Mary Reckmeyer & Tom Rath. We always talk about our invisible buckets. I tell the students that you have power to take from someone's bucket or add to their bucket. I would often ask if they want to be a bucket filler or a bucket emptier. The books does a great job using feeling words for the buckets when they are full, depleting or empty. Friday afternoons were meant for us to fill buckets of teachers, students, friends & family members before the weekend began, so that everyone leaving school on Friday's can have a full bucket. My students LOVE when it's Bucket Filler Friday time & are so excited to essentially 'pay it forward' with kind words, a simple drawing or something as simple as a heart or smiley face.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission really goes along with including others and demonstrating that to my students. In my classroom each year I would get many of the special education students. Their abilities and needs have a wide range every year but starting on day one I explain to my entire class how we need to be kind to everyone, we never know what someone else may be struggling with each day. Inclusion is a HUGE part of my why with teaching. Every week I always planned different activities that I would stress how important it is to show kindness and help each other complete the activity. It is essential to model to my students how important kindness is and how much of a positive impact it has on each person.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is something that is currently in motion. For myself, I try to make sure I say hello to students and include their name. I try to make a point to ask them about their day or weekend. My mission also includes my class helping with our Care Club. They do things for our students and staff throughout the year to spread kindness and put a smile on faces. They have done Halloween treats, Valentines with locker stickers that say kinds things about students (You are beautiful, I love your smile, Thanks for Being Great!, etc.), Easter Egg hunts, coffee for teachers, welcoming students into the building. All of these activities show kindness. It's so gratifying to see kids being kind to other kids, even the ones they don't hang with or are younger or older than they are. I witnessed a high school senior walking by an elementary student that was crying in lunchroom because he had gotten in trouble for throwing food. The high school sat down and tried to console the student and asked what was the matter. They sat and talked for awhile and I was so impressed by this. It was kindness and empathy all together!
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission would be focusing on small, consistent acts. Each day, I will connect with at least 1 student through a genuine check-in or acknowledgement of them. This might be just asking how they are doing, noticing something, or thanking them for something specific. Once a week, I will write a note to a student to offer encouragement or appreciation. I will model kindness by thanking others out loud, apologizing out loud and staying respectful in hard situations.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is to treat every student how I would want my own children treated & to always remember they are somebody's whole world. I strive to teach them kindness through modeling, books, and discussions.
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of choosing different people in our school to show gratitude to. I think my students would love to make a poster & share all the reasons they are grateful for these important people in our school. I hope to incorporate this next month!
My kindness mission is to be a role model to my students on how they can be kind to their peers such as greeting them in the morning, listening to a story that they are telling me, or learning more about them by asking them questions. It’s important that students do have a role model that they can watch and that they can learn from. My kindness mission is also to highlight students that are showing kindness in the classroom and to point out that positive behavior that I’m seeing from them.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy in life has always been to treat others the way you want to be treated. After watching my own children go through school, I always try to remember to treat my students the way I want my own kids treated. We have lots of discussions throughout the year talking about while one person might find something funny, it is important that they put themselves in the other person's shoes and think about how it would feel. My kindness mission will continue to include making others feel seen, recognizing their value, and treating everyone with respect.
ReplyDeleteJust like the sweatshirt I am wearing right now that says, "Choose Kindness Always", this is my mission. To deliberately spread positivity by doing acts of kindness. Giving myself "homework" to make someone's day a little bit better. Don't wait for kindness to happen, PLAN for it. Maybe I'll lift someone's mood, or hold a door for someone, or bring someone a coffee.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this will create a ripple effect-- students and other teachers will spread the kindness too.
Our school has a monthly prayer guide for all of the faculty and staff. Each day lists a specific person or group of people. In the month of March our class has been preparing to give notes and chocolates to those listed each day expressing how much we appreciate their role in our school.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to search for understanding and decrease judgment in every interaction. I plan to practice active listening, ask questions to clarify before forming opinions, and approach each situation with empathy. In my classroom, this means noticing and valuing each child’s perspective, modeling respectful behavior, and celebrating differences. With colleagues and families, it means offering support, assuming positive intentions, and responding thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively. By intentionally focusing on understanding over judgment, I hope to create a more compassionate and inclusive environment for everyone.
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ReplyDeleteSorry, I wanted to edit what I had posted above but I am not sure how to do that so I deleted it and will repost below. I find this program somewhat difficult to use for posting and editing comments. In fact, I was just proud that I learned how to add my name to the posts. :)
ReplyDeleteInspired by the ideas in Teachers These Days by Jody Carrington and Laurie McIntosh, my kindness plan for the high school library centers on one simple belief: connection comes before everything else. The library should be a place where students feel seen, safe, and welcome whether they come to read, study, or simply reset during a hard day. Kindness happens through small, consistent actions — greeting students by name, noticing effort instead of perfection, offering a calm space when emotions run high, and using stories and books to help students feel less alone. I also invite students to help create a culture of kindness through displays, recommendations, and peer encouragement so that it becomes something we practice together rather than being something that feels artificially imposed. In fact, in order to grow this culture, in collaboration with another teacher in the building, I have placed in my room an anonymous kindness comment box where students can fill out a 3rd Party Compliment form and have it delivered to a fellow student or Riggs staff member. It is a popular activity that really lights up the spirits of both those writing the compliments as well as those receiving them. I have found that when I prioritize joy and relationships, the library becomes more than a learning space; it becomes a community where students know they belong.
Design your own Kindness Mission. Share your plan here.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is to always try and make someone's day better. We don't know what our students are facing or dealing with at home, but we can try to make their day better when they are with us at school. I do this by giving my students specific compliments during class. I try to acknowledge every student at least one time during the 45 minutes that I have them. I also try to bring energy and enthusiasm into my classes and when a student makes a mistake I treat them with respect and kindly acknowledge how to fix their mistake.
I think it is easier to be kind to someone rather than being mean to them. I can get a lot more out of kids by being kind to them and not degrading or putting them down. I treat people how I would want to be treated. I think they see my enthusiasm and positive attitude and I think that is what draws kids to want to be around me. I don’t like being around or working with people that puts kids down and think that they are better than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI would love to do more to promote kindness in my classroom, and our whole school. I do talk about kindness often in my classroom, as I feel it is a very important topic. I currently have a kindness week in my classroom. This goes along with learning about the letter “Kk”. During kindness week we talk extra about what we can do to be kind to others. We read books about kindness and have good discussions. I sent home a kindness scavenger hunt with my students. I tell the parents about it, and if they can check 10 things off the list, they can return it to me for a prize. We also recite a kindness pledge everyday in my classroom. A few years ago, there was a group in our school called “The Kindness Club”. This group has dissolved, and over the last year I have thought a lot about getting it going again. I guess getting that started again would be my kindness mission for the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the authors on the importance of kindness. In the next month, I would like to make it my goal to compliment or praise every student. I could tell them how well they performed in a play or athletic event. Students who are not involved can be praised for their efforts in class, a good answer or for showing kindness to others. While I like to think I am friendly, and treat students with respect, I could make more effort to praise students when they do well and tell them why they are great.
ReplyDeleteDesign your own Kindness Mission. Share your plan here.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission begins with myself demonstrating to my students and co-workers what kindness looks like. I will always look my students in the eyes and greet them as they walk into my gym and say hello. I train them to look and me and say hello back. I show them what helping others and being giving looks like. I have special cards I hand out when I see acts of kindness that the students write their names on and then we draw for prizes at the end of each week. We also started a kindness wall this year, where if a student was caught in an act of kindness, they received a smiley face sticker and got to put it on a huge poster that we have in our lunch room. Students were motivated to try earn these. I also do random "shout outs" when I see a student showing kindness and have several prizes that I give away once in awhile. I think kindness is learned by it being shown and demonstrated to our students and they in return will learn to be kind humans.
Our school has done a few "Kindness Day" events recently. A couple of years ago we did it all on one day and had a bunch of different activities planned for K-5. This year we experimented our event for a few weeks. We had different activities we had to do and other ideas that we could do. One of my favorite activities is designing yard signs. Every kid gets to create a yard sign and then we vote on which one is the best in the entire K-5. There is a winner for K-2 and 3-5. We then allow the public to purchase these signs to put in their yards. It's so fun to see the signs while driving through town!
ReplyDeleteI saw this one idea about a "Kindness Mailbox" and loved it. I want to try to incorporate this into my classroom next year. Students drop off kind notes in our classroom mailbox throughout the week sharing about acts of kindness they saw and then we would share some of them on Friday.
My kindness mission is to make more of an effort to connect with my co-workers and students. It has been so easy to get caught up in my daily tasks - this book has made me reflect on how I am spending time with those around me. I also know that I can do a better job regulating my own emotions so that I am a better educator, mother, and wife.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is to lead by example and show my students what it looks like to choose grace over frustration. I want to treat every student exactly how I would want my own family treated, which means greeting them with a genuine smile and a light up every morning so they know I’m truly glad they’re here. I plan to be much more intentional about noticing the small things.
ReplyDeleteDesign your own Kindness Mission. Share your plan here.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission goal is to intentionally help 5 people feel seen, valued, or supported each day for one week. I will focus on I will focus on those students who are usually quiet or overlooked, coworkers who seem stressed or unrecognized, and find at least one person outside my usual circle each day. Each day, I will choose 5 small, meaningful actions, such as: greeting people by name and making eye contact, giving specific and genuine compliments, listening fully to someone without interrupting or thinking ahead to how I might respond, writing a quick note or message of appreciation to someone, offering help without being asked, and including someone who might feel left out. All of these could be in school or outside of school. After each day, I will reflect on how I did as well as each week. If I see positives and improvements, this might be something that I share with a coworker, admin, family, or friend.
My kindness mission is to listen deeply to my students. I want to do more than ask thoughtful questions. I want to show kindness by listening and building relationships in meaningful ways with my students. I will continue to show kindness by giving students what they need when they need it. I will greet my students at the door as I always have. I need to add and make it my mission that my students will truly miss our interactions after the year is up.
ReplyDeleteI love reading everyone else’s responses. I really like the idea of making it a point to make “5 people feel seen, valued, and supported each day for a week”. I think the more you intentionally practice doing this, the easier it will be to do consistently without even thinking. We talk about our “cup” being full in my classroom and what we need to do if it isn’t. If a learner does something kind, I tell them that they are filling up my cup, which then leads to the discussion of things that can fill someone’s cup. I know there are learners in my room that hide in the background and choose not to participate, so my goal is to make sure they feel seen. Maybe it will help their class participation? I also know that sometimes voice tone is key. I will remember to use a calm respectful tone showing that I still care no matter what. When my students want to tell me something, I will listen. I have a tendency to rush it to stay on schedule, when I need to remind myself that they just want you to listen to something they are excited about. I will also continue to help my teammates and recognize when they are doing amazing things. “Please”, “Thank you”, and “I appreciate you” go a long way.
ReplyDeleteOur school already has a strong foundation for character and culture through a program built around five key expectations: be respectful, be kind, be enthusiastic, be a worker, and expect excellence. I really value this structure because it gives both students and staff a shared language for how we want to show up every day. One of the most meaningful parts of it is that every few weeks, teachers quietly recognize a student who has been living out these traits. It’s simple, but it reinforces what we want our culture to feel like in a consistent way.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission could build directly off that foundation, but bring it into my history classroom in a more intentional and ongoing way. I would create a “History 5” version of those same values, where each one is tied directly to something we are doing in class content or discussion. Instead of it being a one-time recognition, it would show up in small, repeated moments throughout the year. For example, I could highlight when students “show respect” by engaging thoughtfully with difficult historical perspectives, or “be a worker” by sticking with challenging primary sources without giving up. The idea would be to weave these moments into the everyday flow of class rather than saving them for isolated events. I think this would be a great way to build culture and make connects with students in my room every day and week throughout the whole year.
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ReplyDeleteI love the movie, "Pay it Forward". I love the concept of doing something for others and not exactly receiving credit for it. Number one, it just feels so good to do something for someone else and also, on the flip side, to receive something unexpectedly is extremely heartwarming too. Some things that I try to do throughout the year is of course bring coffee to secretaries, nurses, teachers other staff members that are unexpecting. I also love to add fun things to holidays, like for Easter, my kids and I "egg houses". We fill plastic eggs with candy or little written sayings of kindness. We do something similar at Halloween time and "Boo" homes, sometimes we leave a book or anything that we can think that that family might enjoy. Christmas, we grab cards from the giving tree and try to fulfill as best we can and right before summer, for the past eight years, I have had an ice cream party in the park on the last day of school, all kids are welcome from elementary to high school and sometime we have daycares walking through the park and they get ice cream too. I have partnered with our local Dairy Queen, which has been amazing- last year over 100 kids joined, and I think I spent right around $100. In the summer, my kids will stop by our neighbors to check in with baked goods and ask if they can help out with any landscaping and request no payment and just say they are trying to be neighborly.
ReplyDeleteMy kindness mission is focused on intentionally creating small and consistent moments of connection each day with my learners. I try to instill and teach the habits of mind throughout my year. I try to get through to them that it is more important to be a kind person than anything else. I also want to incorporate small check ins with students when they seem off, making sure they know someone cares. Kindness should be a habit, not an afterthought.
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