Carroll Dragon's Breath
#JustBreatheDragons
December - Kindness and Compassion
The Science of Kindness
Kindness is Teachable and Contagious: The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to “pay it forward.”
Kindness Increases
Happiness: Kindness stimulates the production of serotonin. This feel-good chemical heals your wounds, calms you down, and makes you happy!
Kindness Decreases
Stress and Anxiety: Perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the average population!
Carroll ISD utilizes the Rachel's Challenge program to provide a framework for positive climate and culture in our schools. Rachel's Challenge exists to inspire and equip every person to create a permanent positive change not only in themselves, but in their schools. The objective of this program is to continue Rachel's legacy of kindness and compassion and to help schools become more connected places to live and learn. If your child has an interest in joining the Friends of Rachel club on his/her campus, please contact your child’s counselor.
"I HAVE THIS THEORY THAT IF ONE PERSON CAN GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SHOW COMPASSION, THEN IT WILL START A CHAIN REACTION OF THE SAME. PEOPLE WILL NEVER KNOW HOW FAR A LITTLE KINDNESS CAN GO."- RACHEL SCOTT
Helping Children Make & Keep Friends
1) The Importance of Empathy. Empathy is the most valuable asset of a positive relationship. It is the joy in knowing that someone cares about you. Teach kids empathy by modeling the behavior yourself when you talk to your child.
2) Being There for Friends. Another important lesson in the art of making friendships and developing positive relationships is being there for a friend. When a friend calls you needing something, try to be the one who is there for them. People remember this in the long run and appreciate people who have tried to help them.
3) Laugh and Have Fun. Part of friendship is having fun with your friends. A good sense of humor and being able to share experiences is part of the intimacy of friendship and good relationships. Teach kids to share what they have with others and to have fun with friends by being positive and jovial with them. If they have a friend who is constantly pulling them down, pressuring them or making them feel bad—they may not be much of a friend at all. Also make sure your child is not the one who may be treating others poorly.
4) Be Loyal. When it comes to building positive long-lasting relationships, loyalty is king. Teach kids to be loyal to their friends and be there when someone needs them. These are important skills that will last into their adult relationships.
5) Listen. Everyone wants to be listened to. Active listening is different than passive listening. Passive listening involved only hearing what is said, where active listening means exhibiting listening behaviors, such as leaning toward the person when they are talking, replying with a statement, and other attributes. The better your child learns to listen to others, the more positive their relationships of any kind will be.
WE MODEL THE BEHAVIOR WE EXPECT
Allowing a young person to experience compassion first-hand is impactful. Modeling kind behavior includes exercising patience and listening to our kids and giving them our full attention by looking them in their eyes and validating their feelings. We teach resiliency by helping them use problem solving strategies in the face of adversity.
Volunteer Your Time:
When children become actively involved in acts of showing compassion to others, they learn about this value in a very deep and enduring way. Find age-appropriate ways to introduce your child to volunteering, such as visiting a nursing home and sharing a craft activity with a resident, serving a meal at a homeless shelter, helping to organize a canned food drive, collecting coats to donate to needy children, or even participating in a charity walk for a specific cause. These activities are at once meaningful and fun, which makes them especially effective in getting kids to routinely think compassionately about the needs of others.
Care for a Pet:
Children who care for pets learn important values such as responsibility, unconditional love, empathy, and compassion for all living things.
Read All About It:
Children’s books are great for providing a window into the experiences of others.
Videos Resources on Kindness and Friendship
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-videos
The Resiliency Project
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Braver than yesterday. Smarter today.
Stronger than challenges coming my way.
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Ziba Johnston JES 817-949-4500
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Kim Coffman RES 817-949-4700
Dana Gamache WGES 817-949-4400
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Andrea Ragnow DIS 817-949-5300
Heather Kennedy EIS 817-949-5200
Dawn Riedl EIS 817-949-5200