Creating a Culture of Kindness
One act at a time
Dear Parents,
Today, I visited your child's classroom with a lesson focused entirely on words and the power that they have when used cruelly. I know that bullying is a buzzword that everyone is using these days, and people are often quick to label any incidence of unkindness as bullying. However, I believe that we find the things that we look for, and I would prefer my focus at Shadow Hills to be on creating a Culture of Kindness.
Please ask your child about what they did in class today (a story about the power of words, followed by a video showing the power of kindness) and the discussion that followed. We discussed how we are all the same on the inside and we all want the same things: to be included, to be cared for, to feel important. I ended the lesson by issuing a kindness challenge to each of the students - ask your child what he or she plans to do to meet this challenge.
The concepts we discussed today apply at home every bit as much as they apply at school--maybe even more. Please encourage your children to treat siblings with kindness, and check your own behavior to make sure that kindness is what you are modeling. After all, our children follow what we DO far more than what we SAY. You might even consider a family kindness challenge - to each other or to neighbors or even strangers....try it and see what happens.
If you are at all interested in the clips that were used in class, please feel free to contact me and I'm happy to let you view them.
Kind regards,
Kim Erwin
Shadow Hills Counselor
Shadow Hills Counseling Office
Email: kim.erwin@boiseschools.org
Location: 8301 W Sloan St, Boise, ID, United States
Phone: 208.854.6060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Hills-Counselor/175334360287
Twitter: @shadowhillscoun