Acts of Kindness
We need to create a “culture of kindness,” encouraging a spirit of generosity and love where differences are accepted and celebrated, rather than targeted. In a culture of kindness, students stand up for and next to one another, all for one and one for all. A dedicated effort to teach, advocate, and model kindness will work much better than efforts to punish meanness.
Michael S. Josephson http://whatwillmatter.com/2012/04/commentary-establishing-a-culture-of-kindness/
Goals
- Recognize an act of kindness.
- Perform an act of kindness.
- Create an online record (video, slideshow, publication) of acts of kindness.
Procedures
- Introduce learners to the meaning of kindness. To begin, ask students define kindness and discuss what kindness looks like, feels like and then sounds like.The following video shows how an acts of kindness initiative was implement at one school.
- Ask students to brainstorm things that they think they can do. Record their responses on a sheet of chart paper (so that you can save the list for use during the entire project). Encourage them to think of ways they can help others. A list of ideas can be found at http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas.
- See video about how it was done in one 4th grade classroom.
- Have learners decide how, when, and where they want to conduct their own acts of kindness . . . individually or in small groups? in the school or the community? types of acts of kindness?
Recording Evidence
Technology can be used to record evidence of learners' acts of kindness. Learners can use their own mobile devices to take photos and/or videos of their acts of kindness.
Examples:
Examples:
- Southwest High School Students take “Random Acts of Kindness” Trip [Slideshow] http://greenbayschools.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/southwest-high-school-students-take-random-acts-of-kindness-trip/
- Syed Muzami Hasan Zaidi video recorded his 22 acts to celebrate his 22nd birthday . . .
- Document acts via a blog like I (Jackie) did http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/living-a-life-of-kindness-26acts/