Kindness.  It has a place here.  It has a place Everywhere.

We started a conversation on Friday about the way we should be treating one another.  The tone of your voice.  The words you choose.  How you ask a question.  Our words matter.  What we say to each other matters.  I always ask “Did you come from a place of kindness?”  If the answer is yes, bravo!  If the answer is no, why not?  What can YOU do differently?  We will continue talking about this ALL year long.  If someone is giving you are difficult time, how will you react?  What will you say?  How will you say it?  What CAN you do?  Walk away.  Apologize if you’ve done something.  Ask a teacher for help.  So many options that don’t involve being UNKIND.  MEAN.  We are learning how to take responsibility for our own actions.  Learning what it means to tell the truth – even if we’ve done something wrong.  Own your truth.  Choose kind.  Always.  Be Kind, even to mean people.  That saying hangs in our classroom bathroom.  It’s hard for adults to grasp this concept.  My hope is teaching it to kids will make it easier for them when they grow up.  I’d also like everyone to remember that the holidays can be very difficult for people.  Financial difficulties, family issues, disrupting schedules, etc.  All of these things can make kids feel overwhelmed and anxious.  Kindness will help.