Why Should My School Have a Kindness Focus?

by M.T. Bennett

Educate the Heart

Aristotle, one of Ancient Greece’s greatest teachers and the Father of Western Logic, is purported to have said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Schools are incredible places where we gather to learn and improve ourselves. However, the best educational institutions don’t just teach math, science, and grammar; but also, character values such as kindness, hard-work, honesty, teamwork, and our place in the world.

If you are reading this article, chances are good that you are involved in education in some way. Maybe you are an educator, an administrator, a PTA member, or even a student. Look back on your memories to when you were in school and think about someone who made a difference in your life. Was it a math teacher who taught you your times tables? Or perhaps an English teacher who was REALLY good at demonstrating how to format to an essay? Chances are that the reason you remember that special educator is because they taught you something beyond what was required for the normal curriculum.

I think about my fourth-grade teacher, Miss Schlotzhauer. I remember two things. First, she put her name on every single spelling test, so we knew how to spell it. Second, I once wrote a story that made her laugh so hard she cried. She fostered in me a conviction that I could create things of worth. Things that can make other people happy. I think about my Eighth Grade English teacher, Mrs. Isley, who taught us the vocabulary word “integrity” and challenged us all to have it in our lives. My undergraduate research mentor, Dr. Higley, taught me that I wasn’t a passive information sponge, but my education could benefit from my active inquiry and quest to answer my own questions.

This isn’t to say that all the facts, dates, history, handwriting, grammar, long-division, etc. aren’t important. All those lessons will build on themselves through the years and students will benefit from them. However, if you work in education, you have the opportunity to make special moments and lessons that will stick with your students, not just influencing what they know, but who they are.

While there is a myriad of important character traits we need to help foster in our schools, we are glad that you are making a focus on kindness. The anecdotal stories we have seen in school Kindness Initiatives are amazing, but the research is incredible as well. Here are some ways your school will benefit from a focus on kindness

Benefits of a Kindness Initiative

Improved Culture and Environment

Our schools are microcosms where we can influence the community culture. Research has shown that the things we focus on are the things we notice. The things we call out are often the things we encourage. As an institution focuses on kindness it encourages a culture where kindness thrives.

Reduction in Bullying and Conflict

There are a lot of different ways to approach Kindness Education, and it is important to employ a variety of methods in order to help the message reach every person. At One Kind Act a Day ours is a pro-social approach, meaning our efforts are not “anti-bullying” but “pro-kindness”. We are not teaching kids to not be mean, we are teaching kids to be kind. Both approaches are valuable and important because each will reach kids with different needs, but we have landed on the pro-social approach for our programs.

With that we usually avoid the word “bully” in our messages and programs. However, with a focus on kindness research shows that incidents of bullying will lower. A focus on kindness will increase kind situations and consequently negative conflict situations will decrease. It will foster a more inclusive and harmonious environment where students feel safe and supported.

Enhanced Social and Emotional Skills

The famous Roman Stoic, Seneca, once said, “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” As we teach and model kind behaviors, we teach our students how to appropriately and effectively connect with their fellow human beings. Research shows that as we focus on kindness students feel more comfortable and capable in their social skills. Students are also able to regulate and understand their own emotions better.

Boost in Academic Performance

As educators there is a lot of pressure to prepare students to know the material, be prepared for standardized tests, and to perform well academically. The good news is that as we take time for character education, and strive to foster a kind environment, we are actually helping improve students’ academic success.

Research has shown that when students feel stressed and afraid they naturally focus less on facts, have difficulty retaining information, and don’t perform well. However, when an institution fosters an environment that is positive, supportive, and kind then anxiety and stress levels go down, allowing students to focus more on their studies and therefore succeed academically.

Promotion of Inclusion and Community

One of our mantras at One Kind Act a Day is, “Kindness draws larger circles of inclusion.” We can combat rising loneliness and isolation with a focus on kindness. Research shows that a kindness initiative can emphasize the importance of valuing and accepting everyone, regardless of differences in backgrounds, abilities, or identities. As people practice kindness students feel more accepted and have a sense of belonging. There is research that shows that this also increases attendance rates, which makes sense. Wouldn’t you want to go to a place where you feel welcome and valued?

Enhanced Mental Health and Well-being

Acts of kindness contribute to improved mental health by reducing stress, promoting a sense of purpose, and creating connections and positive relationships among students. As we are kinder, we get out of our own heads and focus on the needs of others, reducing our distress. The research on the health benefits of kindness isn’t just good, it is incredible. For more information check out our article (click here).

Strengthened Parental/Guardian Involvement

Parents or other guardians may become more engaged and involved in their child’s education when they see the school promoting values like kindness and empathy, reinforcing positive behaviors at home as well. This is why we like to partner many of our initiatives with the PTA or find other ways to encourage home participation, such as our Elementary Curriculum (click here).

Long-lasting Positive Impact

Research shows that teaching kindness sets a foundation for lifelong values and behaviors, preparing students to be kind and considerate individuals in their future endeavors. Even just sharing lessons on how to be kind to animals teaches kids how to be kind to other humans.

Positive Reputation and Image

A school known for its kindness initiative can attract students, staff, and families who value a positive and nurturing learning environment, positively impacting the school’s reputation and enrollment rates. It helps foster the truthful image that your institution is a place that parents can feel comfortable sending their kids.

True Purpose

The ultimate goal of a kindness initiative is to create a safe, comfortable culture and environment for students and teachers alike. By involving students and parents, the likelihood of success increases significantly, and the hope of sustaining kindness over time is a probable outcome.

There are few specific facts I remember my teachers telling me, but I remember something they all exemplified. I don’t remember a specific PTA event, I do remember the efforts made to combine efforts of school, parents, and students and create a sense of community amongst us all. Our example and efforts teach kids just as much as what we say.

Drs. Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli write about kindness education saying, “What matters to kids is what they see adults do, not so much in what adults say. Attention…kids are looking to us for guidance…we have the power to raise a new generation that cares about caring. Instead of teaching (or preaching to) our kids to be successful, we can help them to be kind by being kind and showing them the way.” It is important to remember that every Kindness Initiative begins with YOU!

There is tremendous power in kindness that can bring great benefits to your school, your students, and yourself.

 

 

 

Sources

Azim Majumder, M., Ojeh, N., Rahman, S., & Sa, B. (2020). Empathy in medical education: Can “kindness” be taught, learned and assessed?. Advances in Human Biology, 10(2), 38. https://doi.org/10.4103/aihb.aihb_14_20

Binfet, J. T., Gadermann, A. M., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2015). Measuring Kindness at School: Psychometric Properties of a School Kindness Scale for Children and Adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 53(2), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21889

Caprara, G. V., Kanacri, B. P. L., Gerbino, M., Zuffianò, A., Alessandri, G., Vecchio, G., Caprara, E., Pastorelli, C., & Bridglall, B. (2014). Positive Effects of Promoting Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 38(4), 386–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414531464

Crone, E. A., Sweijen, S., te, W., & van de Groep, S. (2022). Pathways for engaging in prosocial behavior in adolescence. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 63, 149–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2022.03.003

Dacher Keltner. (2010). Born to Be Good : The Science of a Meaningful Life. W.W. Norton.

Datu, J. A. D., Ping Wong, G. S., & Rubie-Davies, C. (2021). Can kindness promote media literacy skills, self-esteem, and social self-efficacy among selected female secondary school students? An intervention study. Computers & Education, 161, 104062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104062

Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3093

Erikson, M. G. (2019). Kindness, Communication and Academic Responsibility in Higher Education. Springer EBooks, 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15970-2_12

Kaplan, D. M., deBlois, M., Dominguez, V., & Walsh, M. E. (2016). Studying the Teaching of kindness: a Conceptual Model for Evaluating Kindness Education Programs in Schools. Evaluation and Program Planning, 58, 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.06.001

Kubzansky, L. D., Epel, E. S., & Davidson, R. J. (2023). Prosociality should be a public health priority. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(12), 2051–2053. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01717-3

Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Kindness Counts: Prompting Prosocial Behavior in Preadolescents Boosts Peer Acceptance and Well-Being. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051380

Lee, C.-K. J., & Huang, J. (2021). The relations between students’ sense of school belonging, perceptions of school kindness and character strength of kindness. Journal of School Psychology, 84, 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.12.001

Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Do Unto Others or Treat yourself? the Effects of Prosocial and self-focused Behavior on Psychological flourishing. Emotion, 16(6), 850–861. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000178

O’Grady, P. (2013, February 13). The Positive Psychology of Kindness | Psychology Today. Www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/positive-psychology-in-the-classroom/201302/the-positive-psychology-kindness

Raposa, E. B., Laws, H. B., & Ansell, E. B. (2016). Prosocial Behavior Mitigates the Negative Effects of Stress in Everyday Life. Clinical Psychological Science, 4(4), 691–698. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702615611073

Samuels, W. E. (2018). Nurturing kindness naturally: A humane education program’s effect on the prosocial behavior of first and second graders across China. International Journal of Educational Research, 91, 49–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.08.001

Shapiro, J., Youm, J., Kheriaty, A., Pham, T., Chen, Y., & Clayma, R. (2019). The human kindness curriculum: An innovative preclinical initiative to highlight kindness and empathy in medicine. Education for Health (Abingdon, England), 32(2), 53–61. https://doi.org/10.4103/efh.efh_133_18

Swick, K. (2005). Promoting Caring in Children and Families as Prevention of Violence Strategy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(5), 341–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-004-1082-8

Swick, K. J., & Freeman, N. K. (2004). Nurturing Peaceful Children to Create a Caring World the Role of Families and Communities. Childhood Education, 81(1), 2–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2004.10521284

Tasimi, A., & Young, L. (2016). Memories of Good Deeds past: the Reinforcing Power of Prosocial Behavior in Children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 147, 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2016.03.001

Trew, J. L., & Alden, L. E. (2015). Kindness reduces avoidance goals in socially anxious individuals. Motivation and Emotion, 39(6), 892–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9499-5

Zeece, P. D. (2009). Using Current Literature Selections to Nurture the Development of Kindness in Young Children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(5), 447–452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0306-3