A Space for Kindness at School and at Home


Nam Thanh Ngo, Contributing Author
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
@mrnamvas

After returning from Dubai, where I attended the 2018 Global Education & Skills Forum, I continue to think about the story heard from three students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Each shared their experiences surrounding the recent school shooting. As I heard these children recount the deaths of their friends and teachers, I could not hold back my tears. In Vietnam, we are fortunate that there has been no such attack on any school. School violence, however, is still the sadness of many people in my country. I was faced with the question of how I can end school violence. I drew the conclusion that only when human beings treat each other with kindness, empathy, and sympathy, can society enjoy sustained peace. Teachers must do more than simply talk with the students about these characteristics. So, I’ve engaged in celebrating and teaching kindness in my own learning space while launching a project focused on promoting acts, thoughts, and words of kindness in learning communities around the world.

The students’ school day begins with 15 minutes spent listening or watching stories of kindness. Some children became emotional as they recognize the power of kindness in these videos and stories. It is encouraging to listen as they share their thoughts in response. While most students have experienced lessons on kindness, it is not enough to be limited to thinking or talking about kind actions. Teachers, as I do each day, must expect our students to demonstrate kindness in their actions.

We take time as a community of students and teachers to identify and discuss acts of kindness at home, at school, and in the community: helping parents or friends, keeping a clean environment, or taking good care of oneself. This changes the concept of kindness into something students can understand and demonstrate. I challenge students to take concrete action to show kindness in different places, such as school, home, public places. This is a prime example of how the space to learn isn’t limited to school. Parents appreciate seeing photos of students’ kind acts and, in cooperation with the parents, kindness is becoming habit in their daily lives. This partnership is seeing nearly every student engaged in consistent, frequent acts of kindness. We celebrate this at school by posting photos of students’ kind actions (photo above).

The students I teach are 10 years old and enjoy moving around and being active as they learn. I’ve designed the learning space to have adequate room for students to interact and play as part of their learning. One game that we play is called “Love Words” (see photo right). Students place a piece of paper on their backs so other students can write positive and kind words. Students smile as they read and experience the kindness shown to them. It is a natural part of encouraging a supportive and kind community of learners.

 

Learning about kindness towards people and the environment is a fundamental aspect of teaching students lessons focused on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is a joy to know that they are using these lessons in real life, both now and in the future. For example, one student took action to pursue SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. She spent her weekend traveling to a contaminated water supply in Vietnam to teach people how to use a filter water as well as reducing pollutants to keep the water cleaner.

The Everyday Kindness Project
  “I feel I am useful person.”
  “I understand parents’ hard work.”
  “I’m happy to help everyone.”
  “I’m proud of myself.”

These are the words of students who are participating in the Everyday Kindness Project, my strategy to scale up teaching and learning about real acts of kindness carried out by students. The project invites teachers to engage their learning spaces as a place to experience and envision kindness in the lives of students. In my experience, children have gained a heightened sense of awareness about their parents’ struggles, their parents’ concerns, and the concerns of others around them. Many have shown a change of interest away from isolating activities and screen time and toward spending time together with family and sharing responsibility for housework.

These are the great effects that the project had during 5 weeks. Students described how it felt to to see the smiles of their parents and to see their parents happy. More importantly, students described feeling more engaged with their family and discovered how they can contribute to life at home. I invite you to visit the project website and explore kindness connections between your students experiences at school and at home!


Nam Ngo Thanh works as primary school teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is a Microsoft Learning Consultant and Varkey Teacher Ambassdor, having been a finalist for the 2018 Global Teacher Prize. He has authored multiple articles, and been nationally and internationally recognized for the implementation of creativity and the integration of technology into his teaching. Nam was also named Educator of the Year Asia 2017 and the winner of the 2018 Global Collaboration PLN Award.

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