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Celebrating Kindness

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for the opportunity to focus on celebrations every week! Please join us!
November 13th is World Kindness Day. I'm not sure how I've missed this since it began in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement. Better late than never, right? I decided to spend some time celebrating World Kindness Day with my students. 

We started class with our normal routine...status of the class and independent reading. During reading time, I quietly wrote sticky note compliments for each of my students and placed them on their desks. When reading was over and students read the notes, I liked watching their faces go from confused to happy to wonderment. I said, "Today is World Kindness Day and I wanted to show kindness to all of you...that's why there are notes on your desks." They nodded, smiled, and some mumbled, "Thanks." I continued, "...but then I thought of something that would make you even happier. Let's go outside for recess...RIGHT NOW!"

Time in middle school is a precious commodity, so I take my students out for recess once a week for 10-15 minutes. This extra, "just because" recess made their day! They cheered and soaked up every second of this time. It reminded me how we all have to stop and enjoy the moment!

When we came inside after our recess time, we talked about how something so small made such a difference in the day. We talked about ways we could share kindness with others. We used sticky notes and wrote notes for others in our school and spread them out. Here are some of the words of kindness spread out around the school...






Update...I confess it was hard writing about how we celebrated World Kindness Day on the same day as the attacks on Paris. I questioned it. I almost didn't share this, but instead I thought about how powerful kindness and love are. I pray that the world will be different when our kids are the ones running it.

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  1. Michele KnottNovember 14, 2015 at 11:03 AM

    Beautiful. I love how your students got into the spirit!
    I think it's important to share this today, especially because of Paris. The message of kindness needs to be more powerful.

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  2. BernadetteNovember 14, 2015 at 11:05 AM

    Thank you for sharing it. Everyone needs a lift today and this put a smile on my face. It sure was a great idea giving those children extra recess. You drove home the happiness behind kindness in the most visceral of ways.

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  3. Terje November 14, 2015 at 11:20 AM

    I am glad that you posted. I think that sharing the kindness and sharing the stories of kindness are especially important when the evil shows its face.

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  4. JulieanneNovember 14, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    This is wonderful. Time is precious. You used it well.

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  5. AnonymousNovember 14, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    What great ways to celebrate kindness! It's very uplifting to read your post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. RamonaNovember 14, 2015 at 2:21 PM

    Love that you wrote notes to each of your students and then took pics of the student notes. Your kindness was multiplied in your classroom. Remind me how you make those lovely pics from photographs.

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  7. UnknownNovember 14, 2015 at 4:18 PM

    Only light can drive out the darkness! Thank you for Honoring world Kindness Day and for positing this. I know the activities you did in class made a real impact on my kiddo. It was the first thing he told me about when he came home from school.

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  8. CrystalNovember 15, 2015 at 12:10 PM

    I love so many things about this. I didn't know we had a World Kindness Day. Thanks for sharing and yes, in light of the tragedies in Paris, this is the perfect post.

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  9. TaraNovember 15, 2015 at 4:11 PM

    Now yours is a classroom where kindness lives and is celebrated every day.

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  10. Linda BNovember 15, 2015 at 5:54 PM

    It's beautiful that you did this, Michelle, spreading happiness around your classroom & then helping your students see how they could do it, too. It's kind to share rather than just do it yourself. I imagine they will not forget this day of kindness. I do also love seeing those pictures from Waterlogue,always precious.

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  11. Carol VarsalonaNovember 15, 2015 at 7:40 PM

    Kindness is a flame that needs to burn bright at all times, Michelle. I also celebrated World Kindness Day but having your students be aware of it is so important.

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  12. Jennifer LaffinNovember 15, 2015 at 8:25 PM

    I'm so glad you posted this, Michelle. It's important to remember these acts of kindness, especially when there is such craziness in the world. I love your post-it idea and I bet your kiddos enjoyed their surprise recess. Enjoy these days!

    Jen

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