“There is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” — Scott Adams
The week of February 15th was Random Acts of Kindness Week. Prior to this, our ES Counselor, Mr. Julius Pre, had sent out a kindness survey to the ES students. The results showed that 68% of ES students agreed that “kindness happens regularly at school,” and 66% agreed that “kindness happens regularly in the classroom.” Mr. Julius noted that the results “clearly show how we are living out our school’s vision, mission, and values” but he challenged us by asking: “How can we make kindness happen more regularly at school and in our classrooms?” He wondered what would happen if kindness became a habit, if we made kindness the norm. So he challenged the students to make it a goal “to be 1% kinder each day.”
Mr. Julius initiated a great way for our younger students to focus on and practice kindness: he signed the ES up for “The Great Kindness Challenge.” Beginning in March, a member of the ES PaLs (the Phoenix Peers and Leaders) group has recorded and shared a kindness challenge for each week. Challenges have ranged from giving someone a sincere compliment, introducing yourself to someone new student at recess, showing kindness to our planet, and making a family gratitude jar.
Click here to see the weekly videos and challenges in The Great Kindness Challenge. The slideshow includes a Kindness Challenge Family Checklist and a Kindness Challenge Family Edition App so family members can take part in the challenge together. The slideshow also includes a collection of wonderful resources on the topic of kindness, including these videos and songs:
Sesame Street: Try a Little Kindness (with Tori Kelly)
Sesame Street: Everyday Heroes Club Song (with Aloe Blacc and Elmo)
Another great resource Mr. Julius shared is this digital Kindness Bookshelf from our very own library and this Kindness Book List from the RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Foundation.
You too can take the Kindness Challenge! Scan the QR code to download the free app:
“The world is full of kind people. If you can’t find one, be one.” — Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
