…with are those who’ve helped you[a first draft of a letter to the Union membership John is working on]Sartre famously wrote that Hell is other people. And there are times in our jobs — and in our lives in general — when that statement can feel spot on.As a union activist, I have noticed too many of my fellow members having a tough time at work and at home. This fall has been tough on me personally, as well, and I’ve experienced first-hand how easily sadness and stress bleeds over from home to work and vice versa and colors my interactions with people. But as the Bard notes, a small gesture or thoughtful word from a colleague can have a tremendous positive impact, even in the face of hardship.
How far that little candle throws his beams!So shines a good deed in a weary world.~ William Shakespeare
The stress of our work and the intense tragedies that have been troubling us in the past year can make it easy to miss the opportunities to say something thoughtful, or lend a hand. These missed chances can quickly build up, widening chasms within our community and creating a world Sartre might recognize too easily as his idea of Hell, people sniping at each other or taking offense too easily. Increasing and avoidable conflicts between employees has forced me to look closely into the value of the simple concept you’ve probably seen on bumper stickers: commit random acts of kindness.
Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate.”~ Albert Schweitzer
Well, I’d like to propose a Kindness Initiative at Norwood in which we follow two core principles:
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- Emphasize kindness in all of your relationships and communications across the school
- Perform acts of service, justice and loving kindness, and expand the concept of being a socially responsible citizen
Oh, I realize that we’re lucky — most employees here in Norwood are generally kind on a reactive basis. But I’m asking us all to begin with occasional, random acts of kindness and then push further. Be mindful and intentional about engaging in considerate activities. Think about each other and what can be done to make everyone’s at work lives more pleasant. Avoid the doom cycle of negative actions. If you find yourself about to strike back at a fellow employee or a student with unkind words or action, remind yourself of the following:
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.~ John E. Southard
Take your time and think about what random kindness means. Look around at all those good deeds happening around you in school and join in. Check in on new employees and people who look as though they need someone to talk to. Small and large gestures of support I get mean the world to me, but acting in a kind manner brings even more benefit.
Kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profoundness, kindness in feeling creates love.~ Lao Tzu
We’re all familiar with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – I think about Scrooge’s turnaround and all of his latent kindness. Go on and experiment on your students, you could find yourself having a lot more fun.In researching this concept on-line I discovered a number of web sites devoted to the subject. A useful one to teachers is www.actsofkindness.org. World Kindness Week is November 7-14 this year. I encourage everyone to keep your eyes and ears open in and around your buildings. Think about who you truly appreciate and carry out an act of kindness. If you can’t think of anyone in particular, then make it truly random and commit an anonymous drive-by act of kindness.It’s very easy, costs nothing and reaps an enormous return on your investment.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.~ Dalai Lama
Or if that doesn’t inspire you, consider this warning:
If you step on people in this life, you’re going to come back as a cockroach.~ Willie Davis
In my position, I’ve heard a lot of complaints, and as a teacher, I’ve done my share of complaining, but the time has come for us to be the change we want to see in this world. Let’s start having fun and enjoying ourselves.