On a national level, our rhetoric may be white-hot.
Despite that — or maybe because of it — here in Westport, our kids are playing nice.
Long Lots Elementary School has developed a Caring Council. Last week, students and their faculty advisors, Lori Grindrod and Cecilie Schachte — with the full support of principal Jeffrey Golubchick — rolled out an important event for the entire building.
“Kindness Week” included:
- Make a Difference Monday
- Thoughtful Tuesday , during which Caring Council students gave hot chocolate to bus drivers
- What Can I Do to Help? Wednesday
- Thank You Thursday
- Friendship Friday, with a special friendship-themed “super recess.”
Long Lots bus drivers enjoy Kindness Week treats.
The Westport school system has embraced “kindness with sincerity” as a guiding principle. Is it naive to ask if some of our leaders in Washington could follow suit?
(Hat tip: Amy Chatterjee)
Long Lots 3rd graders created this quilt, showing what kindness means to them.
It’s a lovely thought, but I hope the kindness lasts more than just a week.
It is actually sad that we now have to create events designed to teach and encourage kindness and that this is not an intuitive instinct anymore.
Yes to Bobbie Herman’s comment. As a former teacher (30 yrs) of children from K through grade 8 , I always tried to impress upon the kids “to be kind to each other” I am sure most teachers do this, but teachers only have the kids roughly 5 hrs a day – so other influences, unfortunately
are out there!