Those who know me well know that I value kindness above all in anyone I meet and any task I undertake. It is something I aim to instill in my students and have hopefully been successful. World Kindness Day is November 13th, and I decided to brainstorm with my students on how to observe this day. These are the pearls of wisdom my students came up with to recognize the day.
- “Hold the door open for people who need it and smile at them.”
- “Help someone with their locker–the new ones stick a little.”
- “Bring the groceries in with mom and dad.”
- “Buckle my little sister into the car.”
- “Watch television/play a game that someone else chooses without pouting. You might even enjoy it.”
- “Listen to the adults the first time.”
Now, these seem pretty straightforward for kids my students’ age. We all know how easy it is to be do some of these task. We may even do them ourselves without thinking about whether or not it was a kind gesture. And then there were the things I didn’t think my students would open up about…
- “I’ll tell myself I’m smart.”
- “I’ll be proud of who I am, regardless of what other people think.”
- “I’ll stop being jealous of my friends.”
- “I’ll say nice things to myself.”
- “I’ll be proud of my work.”
- “I’ll believe that I am enough.”
Not only did this give me incredible insight into my students and help me relate to them as people, but it got me thinking about how unkind we can be to ourselves. And when we are, it’s so, so hard to escape the negativity we cause ourselves resulting in a vicious cycle. If there is anything every human being needs, it is kindness and care. Not only on World Kindness Day, but every day. To my students and my readers: I see you, I am here for you, and I believe in you.
Your challenge for the week is to find a way to be kind to yourself and a way to be kind to others. Leave it in comments so we can all learn from one another.
Keep playing with words and see what your message creates!
–Stef the StageSLP
Speech To Stage 