It’s August…which usually means back to school. At this point, the post below has been shared 196,000 times on Facebook. I am thankful to see it shared by so many parents, teachers and friends.
The more I see this post, the more I keep thinking about how amazing it would be if every family did this before the first day of school.
As a teacher and parent, I am begging you to take the five minutes to remind your child that it is never right or kind to make fun of someone’s physical appearance or something that they love. Bonus points if you remind your child to speak up for children that are being bullied or teased.
A teacher on Instagram shared that if someone can not change something in five minutes, there is no need to comment on it. One of her examples included an untied shoe. If you comment on a classmates untied shoe, they can change that in less than five minutes. If you comment on their physical appearance, from the shirt they are wearing to their body type, they can not be changed in five minutes.
A similar point has been made with a tube of toothpaste. You squeeze out toothpaste on a piece of paper and then ask students to put it back in the tube. Impossible. An absolute mess. You can then gently point out that the toothpaste is like our words…as soon as they are out, you can not take them back.
As the post stated, “school is a place to LEARN, NOT to compete or spread negativity.”
Teachers are busy getting their classroom ready for their next group of students. Teachers will spend hours creating a space that is inviting, calm and engaging. Teachers are carefully planning first week and first month activities along with meaningful read alouds to help foster a classroom community. The rapport and classroom community must happen first to allow for real learning to happen. A child must feel safe and know that their teacher cares to fully give their best effort.
Imagine if this is the year that kindness, empathy and compassion are put on display as a focus that will go well beyond the classroom walls. Imagine the positivity that can spread if we focus on wonderful things that make us unique instead of pointing out the differences. Imagine what we can all do when we work together and focus on accepting others and celebrating all of the little accomplishments throughout a school year.
Spoiler alert: If it can happen in classrooms, it can happen in the real world. Let’s pick right now to celebrate one another. Drown out the hate. Children hear everything we say. Let’s think about what we say and how we say it. Finally, let’s shine a light on kindness, empathy and compassion. Together, we can make big changes.