Teaching Kids How to Be Kind

School is starting and our children will be learning new classroom management procedures with their new teachers in the next few weeks. Many of the classroom management procedures we use at our school stress being respectful and supportive to our classmates and our teacher. As a substitute teacher, I work very hard to be kind to all around me. This past summer, my grandkids observed me while I was very patient and considerate to service employees while vacationing. I extended these same acts of kindness to the grocery store staff, bank staff, restaurant personnel, and shoe store staff. I find that when I consciously act kinder to my family, friends, and community members, I am treated with more respect. I also consciously modeled this healthy behavior with my grandkids when they stayed with us in the summer. I was thrilled when my grandkids commended me for this healthy behavior!

Applying Kindness at School

As a substitute teacher, I created a variety of reading and writing learning modules for primary grade students that include human acts of kindness with the following topics:

• Family Values and Classroom Team Building
• Goal Setting and Extreme Weather
• Rattlesnakes and Venomous Snakes
• Winter Weather and Gratitude
• Bios of Famous People
• Solar System and Earth Day
• Soil, Conservation, and Waste Management
• Fractional Relationships Through Art
• Resume Writing
• How to Self-Publish and Enter Writing Contests

Writing and Applying Acts of Kindness

While exploring and writing on these topics, students will be able to apply human acts of kindness as they help each other with developing their stories, learning how to research information, and supporting each other through editing and tutoring. Students can learn more about how community members support each other through their research. They will also have a chance to share their stories with their classmates through gallery walks and pair and share storytelling. Older grade level students will be able to lead younger grade students in games during recess and help in the classroom with teacher led activities.

Building an Effective Classroom Management Model

As I increase my skills in modeling human acts of kindness, most students will be receptive to my modeling and will demonstrate their skills and abilities in sharing kindness with more classmates and friends. They will also serve as role models for the more challenged students and encourage their peers to work cooperatively together as a team. And finally, these kind leaders will guide their more challenged peers to cooperate for the good of the class and the healthy climate of the greater school community.

Happy new school year of collective kindness and care for all!