In the times when we’re used to hearing about the negative effects of technology and social media on our children, Gan Jing World (GJW) has stood out as a clean virtual world that creates, promotes and inspires goodness in its audience and content creators. Isn't it an ultimate good deed to promote good deeds in troubled times? One of GJW's most recent good deeds that we were honored to be part of was its “Kindness is Cool” video contest, which has undeniably elevated the world's kindness level during the past months. There are at least three big positive changes that I witnessed as a teacher and a parent while working on the kindness project with my colleagues and students:
- It has given visibility to kindness education;
- It has helped to empower students through kindness;
- It has inspired goodness in content creators.
Visibility of Kindness Education
The #KindnessIsCool video awards gave visibility to the kindness education that some teachers were already providing in their classrooms. For example, the two English teachers whose students participated in the videos that the school I was a teacher at uploaded for the contest, have been able to showcase the efforts they were already making throughout their career of cultivating kindness as the foundation of their teaching. One of the teachers has always made sure that children's education went beyond mere knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. In and beyond her classroom, she has always emphasized how to behave well, use proper manners and have a kind attitude in school. When she learned about GJW’s #KindnessIsCool video contest, she instantly embraced its value and came up with several class activities to do with her students. Her dedication that comes from the heart transpired in both planned activities and unplanned conversations about the utter importance of kindness. She commented that one of the students even asked her: “Is kindness the only thing you care about?” In this day and age, such a question sounds like the ultimate appreciation of teacher's efforts and skills of making the world a better place at present and for the future.
One of the activities that this teacher came up with was a “Kindness Quilt.” As she explains in the video, the students
“each had a quilt square that said ‘Kindness is… .’ They were so excited to come up with quotations and to color them and to talk about what kindness is. They followed them with essays. They were so intent - you could hear a pin drop. This is what they know. This is important to them. Kindness makes the world go round. #KindnessIsCool.”
Among many outstanding, touching, and heart-warming quotes from the quilt are:
“Kindness is the mark we leave on the world.”
“Kindness can make a bad day good and a good day better.”
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
“You can always give something, even if it is just kindness.” - Anne Frank
“Always be a little kinder than necessary.” - J.M.Barie
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”
“Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light.”
“Kindness makes you the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what you look like.”
When I asked the English teacher to share how the project impacted her teaching and children's learning, she said the following:
“# Kindness is Cool campaign has dramatically influenced our students' behaviors, attitudes, attentiveness and classroom participation. They have felt so proud of themselves as they have become aware of how their words and actions can positively contribute to our school's climate and culture, as they understand the power of positivity in their dealings with their peers and their teachers. Whether through writing essays, creating a kindness quilt, performing skits, holding a "Compliment Day" etc., we can all definitely see a significant change as our children become more thoughtful and empathetic, realizing that kindness is definitely cool!”
Several other teachers were happy to promote the importance of kindness at school without even any prior preparation. Given that they have been already emphasizing the importance of being a good person and treating each other nicely, their powerful message of kindness came out naturally and touched the hearts of many people as the video reached over 500 likes almost instantly. One of the teachers who participated in the video is a martial arts teacher. I heard him teaching children about the importance of kindness in his class, and children were very engaged in the conversation. In the video, he came up with the poem on the spot:
“Say once - think twice.
Always be nice.
Don't be a fool.
Be kind in school.”
One day, passing by one of the classrooms, I noticed the word “kindness” written on the whiteboard. I approached the teacher to ask whether she was doing something related to kindness. As it turned out, this English teacher has always dedicated part of the school year to kindness because of World Kindness Week. When we asked her if we could film her students, she was beyond grateful because it would give her a chance to showcase the amazing job her students did.
These are some of the quotes taken from the students’ “Kindness Essays”:
“Kindness makes the world work because without kindness people would have empty lifeless souls.”
“If we are kind, it shows that we are different from others: We are kinder than others. Your attitude can give you internal satisfaction and you won't just become physically beautiful. You will become mentally beautiful too.”
“[Kindness] is a type of generosity that makes everyone involved feel good.”
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain
“Kindness is crucial in order to have peace in the world.”
“What is the most important thing on Earth? The answer is kindness.”
“Kindness is the most important thing you can do because it makes you feel good about yourself and brings you closer to others.”
“If someone does something nice for you in return to your own kindness, be grateful. You should not expect a nice action in return because the act of kindness in itself is the reward.”
“It’s always time to be kind.”
“Kindness is in everybody's heart, on Earth or on the Moon.”
“No matter how long or short your day is, there is always space for kindness.”
“[Kindness] means being considerate, selfless, or compassionate. Like love, it takes time and practice to understand it. It is one thing to be taught kindness, but different to be touched by it.”
“Kindness is one way you can strengthen your beautiful side, the side that can help you grow and understand one another.”
“Kindness is what you choose to do for someone else.”
“Spread kindness. I ask you. It's good for everyone in every single way.”
“Kindness is what makes our world a warmer and more encouraging place to share.”
“It takes courage to be kind.” - Maya Angelou
“To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks, but a special heart that listens.”
“When you are kind, your body makes little chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins make you feel better by reducing the amount of pain that you feel.”
“Being kind is a treat you technically give all the world.”
Empowering Students Through Kindness
This project also empowered those students who usually couldn't stand up against rudeness or bullying because they were simply too nice and well-educated. When we repeated the phrase “Kindness is cool” so many times at school for different videos and in different languages and settings, I heard students actually started saying “Kindness is cool” in response to some of their peers’ unpleasant comments or attitudes. It became such a positive way of correcting someone who is not kind to others.
The topic of kindness can empower students not only socially, but also academically, no matter the age. One of my second-graders is a very sweet boy, but could be a little too disruptive, wanting to simply talk or wander around during class. When, inspired by the #KindnessIsCool campaign, I started an activity where the whole class would get a star for any kind act or would lose a star for anything unkind, that boy started changing his behavior very rapidly. Since the whole class would care for their star, they would beg him to go back to his seat or listen to the teacher, since they didn't want to lose a star for his unkind behavior. In a couple of weeks, he could sit through the class without any distractions. Even other teachers noticed the positive change. When I asked him whether the kindness stars helped him to improve, he said that they did, and the spark of light in his eyes upon mentioning the stars confirmed that kindness can make so many great changes in class.
As one of the English teachers recalled, a student from her class who just came from Ukraine and who used to struggle with her academic work in class given that English is not her native language, for her Kindness Essay assignment didn't just submit the work on time, but also excelled in the structure and content. It was well-organized, thoroughly-developed and beautifully-written. Thus, similar projects give all students a chance to shine and show “their beautiful side,” like one of the students said in her Kindness Essay.
Inspiring Goodness in Content Creators
To have the privilege of collecting and editing students’ and teachers’ videos on kindness is like a gift that inspires goodness in you. It lets you hear quotes, stories, and touching examples of kindness over and over again: First, when choosing the content, then while editing, and transcribing, and, finally, while polishing the final product. The kind words you hear so many times become part of you, carried along with you throughout the day, turning into the base for your own behavior. That’s why I am most grateful for the chance GJW gave so many educators to not only show that kindness surrounds us when we remember to value it, but also to refill our hearts with a renewed sense of goodness.
This project also allowed me to easily incorporate materials about the importance of kindness, like the “Lotus Fairy-Tale,” into the curriculum. I also brought in an origami flower as a symbol of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. When I first started to think of ideas to incorporate kindness into my teaching, I right away thought of shifting my teaching from disciplining for bad behavior to positive reinforcement for kind acts. So I brought the lotus flower to explain that it has the power of kindness and if a student doesn't have enough patience to be kind in class, this flower can help him or her. Many of the students embraced the idea and shifted to positive behavior in class. Some of them were so amazed by the origami lotus flower that they asked me to make one for them. After receiving an origami lotus flower, one of the students came up to me and said: “You were right: This flower did make me kinder.” And even other teachers commented on how the lotus flowers positively impacted these students. One of the Math teachers told me that the student explained to her that this lotus flower had a special power because if he was nervous or impatient, he could just hold the lotus flower in his hand, and it would immediately calm him down.
I also noticed that for the kindness videos we posted as a school to be successful, I myself needed to maintain a kind heart. Whenever I treated my students and my own children with kindness and patience, the videos would get more than 500 likes almost overnight. Those days that I failed to maintain a kind heart while going through my day, however good the video seemed to be to me, it wouldn't get more than 30 likes. So I think the kindness campaign lets the true kindness transpire, since like one of the students said: “Kindness is the language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear.”
Thank you also to GJW for promoting our “A&D School of Kindness” educational videos. It gave me confidence that now when I have decided to homeschool my children, we can still contribute to world’s kindness elevation and thus, continue doing good deeds in these troubled times through GJW even from our home. We decided to call our channel “A&D School of Kindness” and focus on kindness in everything we learn, even in Math and Science, since any true learning reveals the universal truth of the world that is based on truthfulness, kindness, and patience, in all that we do, learn, and share.
Thank you to GJW for the #KindnessIsCool campaign and the #GoodDeedsinTroubledTimes contest!
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