The Kindness Project

It's Sunday night before the last week of school. I should be creating my final lesson plan. I should be working on my presentations for teacher in-service this week. I should be doing a lot of things. However, I find myself sitting here reflecting on this past year's activities. In my seven years of teaching I have realized one thing- my students are seriously lacking empathy. Do I blame technology for their lack of social skills? Do I blame their parents? Do I blame the media? Lack of multicultural experiences? Do I blame myself for not doing a better job of teaching life skills? Look, there are no easy answers to this dilemma. So I searched the internet and scoured my favorite blogs, and I came across an amazing activity: The Kindness Project. It was perfect for my little maniacs angels. It would require a white board and dry erase markers. One student would sit in a chair while the rest of the class wrote compliments on the board directly behind them. Then, I would take their picture so that they could remember the moment and kind words forever. Easy peasy, right? I couldn't wait to try it with my students.

The first day we started the project, I discussed my expectations with the students. I told them it should be compliments that held weight. I wanted to see things that were specific and deep. For example, "You really lifted my spirits when I was down," or "Thank you for always seeing the best in me." I made sure to stress that I didn't want to see comments based on physical appearance. I also threatened to issue consequences for any student that dared write any insults on the board. I let the students know that you could find something nice to say about anyone, even your worst enemy. Well, it wasn't as easy as I was hoping. 

Students instantly fell back on physical commentary such as, "You have nice shoes," or "Nice hair." It seemed shallow, but it was a start. It strayed from my rules, but I realized these kids were lacking in practice. I accepted their comments, but added some of my own to each student's board as guidance. I was met with backlash. Some students refused to write nice things. Others would sneak insults on the board, then they'd try to play this card: "I was just joking Mrs. Cormier!" So we had to discuss the golden rule. I wasn't expecting perfection, and it was a great learning experience. However, it did hurt some students' feelings. I was left wondering, "Had I made the right decision?" In the end, I think the answer was yes. The pictures I got were amazing, and even my most defiant and resistant students couldn't wait to turn around and see their comments and their pictures. Their little faces just lit up while reading their comments. It was awesome! And on the last day of school, I will be giving them their pictures to keep forever. I. Cannot. Wait. 

I do plan to change things up for next year. I will be using an anonymous online journal with my students, and this project will be called the Empathy Project. I got the idea reading an article from another teacher that found success by having his students share their life struggles with their classmates. Faculty and staff were also included and took part in the discussions if they felt comfortable. Students would cry and clap and support each other as their classmates shared their stories in front of everyone. The teacher said it was an amazing experience and really decreased bullying. My plans are to allow students to write about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in an online journal that would be read daily by their classmates. I would monitor comments, but the forum would be an open space for students to give advice and cheer each other on. I am hoping that when students see that so many others share their same struggles, they will choose to be kind more often. I have all summer to plan this out, so I will let you know how it goes once I find a forum and a safe way of getting these ideas out there. Here are the pics from our project.

Have any ideas or advice for teaching tolerance and kindness? Comment below!