Kindness Cultivator

Chapter 2 – Roman Nowak

Tell us more about #bekindEDU:
The hashtag #bekindEDU came to life after several conversations with my friend Eli Casaus (@mrcoacheli). After talking about our roles and impact in education, we both felt like we wanted to make a difference and inspire others. After talking about education for over six months, our discussions converged around being there for others, showing compassion and kindness. As a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres, I would always make a point to share out messages of kindness and encouraging research projects in my classes that would have an impact on their community. Soul Pancake was also very instrumental in my classroom. Therefore, in June of 2017, together with Eli, we launched the hashtag #bekindEDU and I started posting daily inspirational messages about positivity, kindness, hope, compassion and empathy. Our hopes were always to leave a dose of inspiration in the world. Together, in June 2018, one year later, we launched the #bekindEDU Twitter chat, to keep deepen our learning and share with others about how kindness can change education and school culture.

What advice would you give to others who are trying to cultivate kindness in the world?

My best advice: Be fearless, be bold, and lead with your heart. It doesn’t matter what others say or think. If you lead with your heart, you will always make a difference and leave some positivity in the world. It only takes one person to plant the seed of kindness. Be that person; be the inspiration. YOU can make the difference. Together, we will change the world.

How has Twitter impacted your kindness journey?

It has been a privilege to grow a community of learners on Twitter. Twitter has been an educational gamechanger. I am blessed to know and continue to know so many amazing educators around the world who are all working on make a difference. Kindness grows with a community and we all need to work together to make lives better. Always live your life thinking how you can make things better for others. We need more empathy; we need more understanding. If we can instill this belief in our students and live it daily, we will see the beauty that shines in the world. Let’s all work together at spreading hope, love, joy and kindness in the world. Everybody needs it.

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