CCP Episode : 14 // Kindness in the Classroom (9 Tips for Teaching Students to be Kind)
Simply stated: Kindness needs to be a priority in your classroom.
You can't do math or literacy centers if your students don't know how to work nicely in groups. You can't go on field trips if your students are constantly arguing on the bus on the way there. You can't have fun parties and events in your classroom if your students don't appreciate ANYTHING you do. It's super hard.
Here's the reality-It's very hard to teach a room of students ANYTHING until you teach them to be kind.
If you spend your entire day playing "referee," constantly putting out fires between your students, there's no time for teaching.
Here's what you can do about it - Teach kindness first.
This is not a one-and-done lesson. This is an every day, all day kind of lesson. We have to incorporate kindness practice into absolutely EVERYTHING we do. We have to put kindness reminders EVERYWHERE. And - we have to reinforce it ALL THE TIME.
In this week's episode, I'm sharing 9 tips and ideas for teaching your students to be kind.
Highlights from the Episode:
The one thing that I can’t STAND (1:43)
Kindness should be the FIRST thing we should teach to our students (2:37)
9 Tips for teaching students to be kind (5:10)
Kindness starts with YOU
Plaster kindness all over your classroom
Have a kindness motto
Watch Kid President Videos
Create a “Shout-Out” box
Teach kindness through literature
Explicitly teach and practice kindness
Create a kindness visual (like a kindness jar)
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode:
Picture books that promote kindness (affiliate links):
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein
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