Four years ago, in the early years of my kindness journey, I stumbled across a blog post someone wrote about World Kindness Week. Inspired to embrace an entire week of kindness, I set about different acts of kindness for each day including simple, small acts that others might miss. I wrote a blog post about compliments, then continued to share other acts of kindness I completed, received, or witnessed.
Since that time, I’ve learned that World Kindness Day (not week) is a real-deal thing, created in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, and each year on November 13, I wake up absolutely giddy with joy knowing there are thousands of other people around the world sharing in kindness at the exact same time!
That. Is. INCREDIBLE!!
One way that I kick off World Kindness Day is by thinking globally. How can I make a positive impact on the world? That question alone is paralyzing if you get caught up in the enormity of it all. Positively impact the world? Who… me? Really?
Really.
Seriously.
YES!
See, your small acts of kindness make a difference. They matter to someone else. They don’t have to be expensive and they don’t have to be elaborate. They simply need to come from the heart.
So each year about this time, I start by filling three shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, (one in honor of each of my children). This organization will ship and deliver my box of goodies to a child in need on the other side of the world. How exciting is THAT?
When I printed my box tags, I saw it included a QR code allowing me to track which country receives my box of gifts. Bonus excitement!
Three boxes doesn’t seem like much. But when my three boxes join with your two boxes and another box over there, all of a sudden we have enough boxes to fill a large container. Add a few more from some other kind folks, and maybe we have enough to fill the backseat of a car. Another box here, another box there… all of a sudden, TOGETHER, we have made a substantial impact and we definitely need a larger vehicle!
In the blink of an eye, with the kindness of strangers, my meager three boxes magically multiplied into 850 boxes to ship.
That’s the power of collaborative kindness. It’s never really about me or you, but WE and US. That’s what makes days like this so amazing!
As I entered the Innovation Lab this morning, I caught a glimpse of a sneaky student leaving a kindness message on our laptop cart. Her smile was SO big when she realized that I caught her in the act, so I asked if I could take a photo with her. She readily agreed.
It’s not often that someone tells me I’m gorgeous, so I had to capture the joy in the moment!
A little later in the morning, I received a special delivery from a dear friend who also serves on our school’s PTA. It was the most PERFECT notepad (“Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti!”) with a huge chocolate bar attached. Again, the kindness was so heartwarming, I had to take a photo. (If you know me well, you know that I take joy pictures quite often!)
As I finished one of my lessons today, I passed by a teacher who was returning to her classroom. We chatted for a bit, then as we approached her door I saw two post-it notes taped to her door, written by students in our school. Reading those sweet sentiments and witnessing the jubilation it brought to this teacher… well, you know what I HAD to do!
I took another picture.
During one of my lessons today, I showed first grade students how to join my Passion for Kindness Seesaw group where they could share kind acts they see or do. One student shared how she earned her “Super Kid” award by showing kindness in pushing another student on the swings.
Kindness multiplying.
As the day progressed, I met with two of our kindness classes with the mission of creating Kindness cards, inspired by Wendy Hankins and Kind Kids. When we planned these lessons weeks ago, the intent was to create greeting cards to make available for teachers in our Teacher’s Lounge, so they could share kindness with others easily. It was supposed to be a lesson filled with the joy of gratitude and giving.
But some things have changed in those few short weeks. Our evening news is filled with tragic images of uncontrollable fires and burned-down houses. On the east coast where we live, the fear and heartache is distanced as we are far-removed from threat. However, it’s our duty as educators to make our lessons real and relevant, so I knew I had to make a connection for our students.
When the lesson began, I shared our original mission of creating Kindness cards for teachers. Then I talked a bit about the recent news of wild fires and the damage they’ve caused. I showed the students a photo of Paradise Elementary, which was spotlighted in the news and from the Kids for Peace organization. The devastation was immediately felt by all the students as the room fell silent with shock and surprise.
Photo Credits: The Washington Post
One student said, “I can almost feel the sadness.” This was a perfect lead-in to our cornerstone words of kindness: Empathy and Compassion. We shared conversations about feelings and how they can become a catalyst to action.
Then I gave the students a choice.
“Sometimes we do kindness in moments of joy. Sometimes we do kindness in moments of sadness. Neither act of kindness is better than the other; both are needed and important. It’s up to you which act of kindness you do today. You can make cards for teachers to give away, or you can make a card for someone at Paradise Elementary School. Choose with your heart.”
Using donated cards, we recycled them and made them new again with words of hope, love, kindness and joy. Students decorated with markers, gel pens, colored paper and fancy scissors. They poured their hearts into their work and proudly displayed their final products, sorting them into one stack of cards for California and another stack to be placed in a gift basket for teachers.
Whether you celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13, join in the fun for an entire week, or “Make Kindness the Norm” like The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, it’s always a good time to be kind to others! I hope each and every one of you experienced a ray of kindness shining upon you today.
Just thinking about that makes my heart smile!
If you or your students would like to create cards for Paradise Elementary, you can mail them directly to the address below, making sure your postmark is no later than December 1, 2018.
Kids for Peace
1302 Pine Avenue
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Subscribe
Tamara—
I love everything about this post! Thank you for including our Kind Kids’ card activity and for inspiring me to ensure that our acts of kindness are — not only meaningful, but relevant too! I will show our kids the picture of Paradise Elementary today and give them to choice to create cards for them or more for our cards in the lounge.
Lead with kindness and what makes your heart happy and filled with joy!
Wendy
Wendy, thank you for your kind words about our World Kindness Day adventure! I love all the many ways you inspire me, and our students, to make this world a better place! Looking forward to learning and growing with you in 2019!