Valentine's Day Week - Kindness Challenge!

Kindness means having concern for others and being able to show that concern through our thoughts and actions.  Just like for adults, kindness is very important for kids' social connections and well-being. A recent study of upper elementary students who performed acts of kindness on a regular basis saw positive changes in their school performance, were more socially accepted by their peers, and tended to be more inclusive of others.

KINDNESS CHALLENGE: So what can we do to model kindness to others in our work environment, in order to spread a smile AND model positive behavior for our students?

Neuroscientists say that it takes at least 3 weeks to form a new habit.  What if, every day, for 21 days, we flexed our kindness musicles? Starting this week, in honor of Valentine's Day, try to spread a little more kindness over the next couple of weeks. Show kindness to your colleagues, students, and families at home. Simple. Random acts of kindness. For 21 days.

As many of us have experienced, being kind makes us feel good and motivates us to share even more acts of kindness.  This feedback loop can have a very powerful impact.  The physical feeling that comes along with doing something nice is called the "helper's high", and comes from the release of endorphins - which improves our physical and emotional health.  So not only are we doing something that benefits others, it's good for us as well!

As we've talked about, connections with others are important for health and happiness, especially with our students.  Helping our kids develop strong connections makes it easier for them to find opportunities to show kindness to others. Even the smallest act of kindness tells someone that we respect and value them.  Through kindness, we can encourage our students to be a force for good, and a positive change in the world.  Find an opportunity to show kindness, and work to build a caring community amongst our staff, while modeling this behavior for our students.  Try it for 3 weeks - and see what you notice!

When you notice these acts of kindness, 

let me know and I'll highlight them with staff and students!

Kindness Challenge: 

The Dalai Lama reminds us: 

Be kind whenever possible. And it is always possible.