I have been struggling with a new reality of the news being filled with really bad stuff on a regular basis. And having school-aged kids who are aware of it. The news was never really an issue before with my kids. It just didn’t seem as prevalent. Lately, it seems, the news is everywhere. And its full of things like – passengers being dragged off airplanes; and families being kicked out of the country; the degradation of women; and discrimination of people of all different backgrounds. It just feels angry all over. All of the time. And my kids and all kids, are aware.
“It just feels angry all over. All of the time. And my kids and all kids, are aware.”
I also was realizing that for the first time since my kids began elementary school, they started coming home with stories about bigger kids on the playground not being as gentle and nurturing as you’d like to imagine the older kids being to the younger kids. Rather there is ball stealing and name-calling and not playing so nice. The whole situation of that in the world at large and of the one in our little school bubble, has been feeling sort of yucky. *I really wish, right here, I could say that I then got out my cape and gold cuffs and single-handedly took out all the bad guys in the world and restored peace and justice. That would be pretty bad-ass.* Rather, what I did was started researching Kindness Campaigns.
Through a bunch of digging I learned that kindness isn’t actually an innate behavior but rather is taught or learned through modeling. I was of the very optimistic belief that kindness and compassion are naturally a part of our make-up. Definitely a disheartening discovery to learn that it, indeed, is not. Yet one that makes total sense outside of my terribly unrealistic Pollyanna bubble. So, what if kids aren’t exposed to kindness and compassion at home? An unsettling thought for sure, but certainly a possibility with it being a learned behavior. And then all the negative energy swirling around the news and the world in general. Ugh. The good news is, in the past couple of years, there have been very cool kindness initiatives popping up all over the country. Initiatives that have been successful in spreading the word to kids of all ages that kindness is a super feel-good act. And contagious! Wildly successful YouTube videos, world-wide flash mobs, super inspiring TED Talks – all about how acts of kindness can effectively change a person’s whole world. And, can have a snowball effect, with it being passed on from one to another and another and another.
“I was of the very optimistic belief that kindness and compassion are naturally a part of our make-up. Definitely a disheartening discovery to learn that it, indeed, is not…”
So….I went to the awesome principle of my kids’ school and proposed that we make the 2017/2018 school year The Year of Kindness. That we make the actual building a Kindness Zone with a banner outside, above the front doors and Kindness Zone decals on each side of each door in the building. Posters in the classrooms, and quotes on the public bulletin boards and mentioned daily with the morning announcements. We have an opportunity with these kids – our kids – to create many forces of good. And, as I said to Mr. S., even if we touch just one kid, one kid who might not otherwise be touched in this way, to go out and be a kindness snowball – then that would be an amazing achievement. He was into it.
We met with the teachers and the plan is that they will implement a kindness aspect into the curriculum for each grade. The physical part, creating a Kindness Zone with the building, is just one piece. There are also school performances to weave the message into, all-school meeting presentations, books to read and discuss, outreach programs for the big kids. Other sweet projects like; secret kindness buddies, kindness notes, jars that are filled with marbles for each act performed. The goal is to envelop these kids. We hope to inspire parents to take it all home by encouraging kindness and gratitude there as well.
Clearly, it will take much effort and a lot of people who are willing to participate, to make this initiative effective. Of course, the way I see it is that it will be a huge success and we will then be able to implement it in other schools. Our snowball will be enormous, and many, many sources of good will radiate out and go forth.
We all do what we have to stay hopeful and optimistic. To look to the future and see only good things waiting there for our children. I’m not really sure what the alternative is.
Anyway, we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted on the great Kindness Initiative of 2017/2018. Perhaps…beautiful things await…
👍💜