"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." - H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama In response to some recent headlines in the news, I have committed myself anew to the practice of kindness, including intentional, random acts of kindness. There has been a lot of discussion recently about mental health care, gun control, violence in the media, etc. Kindness is a form of activism that can go hand in hand with political activism. A few days ago, I came across a video that really touched me and reminded me that you never know who you might inspire as you go about your day planting seeds of kindness - or who might inspire you if you keep your eyes open. My favorite recent, local example of kindness is Lorenzo, who directed traffic through a road work site close to my school. His smiles, waves, and greetings - given to every single person who passed by him each day - uplifted so many people that he was made an honorary citizen and given the key to the village for sharing his gift of "unbridled joy." He showed us the power that a smile and a few kind words can have on an entire community, which was a powerful lesson - one that inspired me to reflect on how I can channel more kindness and joy into my work and into the world at large. As an early childhood educator, I have an abundance of opportunities every day to offer a warm smile, a sincere compliment, and a listening heart. I remember how great it felt as a child to be noticed by and to connect with certain teachers. Simply running into them in the hallway and receiving a smile and a hello was such a treat! That kind of warmheartedness comes naturally to most early childhood teachers. However, I'd also like to cultivate a random acts of kindness habit in the New Year that requires more intentionality. The day before Christmas, I saw a picture online that made quite an impression on me. It was of a card a couple received on the windshield of their car when they came out of a hockey game. The card contained a $5 bill and a kind message and was given in loving memory of a certain child who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack. I had heard of the new "26 Acts of Kindness" movement to commit a kind deed in honor of each victim of the school shooting and had intended to accept this challenge. However, the picture motivated me into action; a new wave of kindness already had begun! I decided to begin with a copycat act of kindness in our community with my son. I found a handmade card, wrote a kind message, and invited my son to select the child in whose memory we would perform this random act of kindness. His eyes widened in an urgent sort of way, and he said that there was a particular child who really stuck out in his mind. We looked at pictures of the 20 Sandy Hook students, and he found the child immediately. I wrote her name, age, and the name of her school on the card with tears welling in my eyes and slipped the money into the card. Focusing on that one child - learning her name and deciding to offer a kind deed in her memory - was a powerful, emotional experience. At the bottom of the card, I wrote, "Remembering this precious child through a random act of kindness that hopefully will make the world a better place. Please pass it on in some way." We drove down the road to our town's grocery store, selected a car, and left. After returning home, I felt compelled to learn more about this little girl. I read about her interests and considered the idea of future acts of kindness being related to what each child loved or something unique about him/her. For instance, we might decorate a tree with treats for the birds in honor of a child who loved animals or donate a book to a library in honor of a child who loved to read. Normally, I engage my kindergartners in a random acts of kindness project between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Valentine's Day. We create a paper quilt detailing 100 acts of kindness performed at home, school, or in the community. The children color heart designs, and their acts of kindness are written in the borders around each quilt square. I ask families to email me or send notes about kind deeds their children perform outside of school. This year, I'm considering challenging each child/family to perform 20 acts of kindness - in honor of each of the children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We are focusing on the numbers 0-20 in math, and there would be no need for the children to understand the significance of the number 20. I just love the idea of responding to tragedy by flooding the world with kindness and light and the message that love is stronger than evil, hatred, and ignorance. Acts of kindness in the classroom also count. Personally, I think I'd like to begin with the "26 Random Acts of Kindness" and then extend it by performing a kind deed every day during 2013. Here is the link to an article about kindness research underway in Vancouver: Random Acts of Kindness Can Make Kids More Popular. I have to admit to fantasizing every now and then about moving to Vancouver to study with lead researcher, Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, whose work I have been following for several years. (And I have some really awesome relatives in the Vancouver area...) But perhaps I can work to implement research-based practices related to kindness, empathy, and awareness in schools in my area. There are a number of resources online with ideas for random acts of kindness, in case you are so inclined and would like some ideas. Here are a few links: The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation 134 Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness 366 Random Acts of Kindness Gift of Kindness Secret Agent L And here are a few picture books about kindness that I enjoy reading with children: One Smile by Cindy McKinley Because Brian Hugged His Mother by David L. Rice Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Marjery Cuyler Crazy Hair Day by Barney Salzberg Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli There is another book about kindness that I refer to quite extensively in my classroom but must recommend along with a suggestion. The book is called Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. The book explains that each of us carries around an invisible bucket that holds our feelings of happiness. When our bucket is full, we feel good, and when it is empty, we feel bad. We can fill other people's buckets by being kind and helpful, and in the process of filling their buckets, we also fill our own. However, we also can dip from other people's buckets by being insensitive or hurtful. But dipping from someone else's bucket does not fill our own bucket. The ideas of bucket filling and bucket dipping are easy for young children to grasp; however, there is an important element missing from the story, which is learning how to put a lid on our bucket, to prevent others from dipping into our bucket in the first place. This piece involves resilience and personal empowerment and ensures that our happiness is not dependent on the actions of others. Although this idea does not appear in the book, I have seen it presented on the Bucket Fillers website and feel it is a critical piece. Please let me know if you know of other good books about kindness! And then there's the movie, Pay It Forward, about a boy who started a kindness movement as a school assignment: Whereas the various issues being debated in response to recent acts of violence will take some time to work out, kindness is something each of us can do today. It is a way to heal the world more immediately. May it spread like wildfire! "Every kind act, no matter how small, is like a pebble tossed into the pond of human caring. The rings reach out far beyond the point of impact; the action of our kind deed acts more kindly toward the people around them, those people act more kindly toward the people around them, and so it goes, on and on." -Author unknown * * * * * * * * © Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. 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