I recently took on teaching 840 elementary kids art. I have found that with both kindergarten and first grade it is helpful to read a short book and then work on a related art project. This week I was reading to the kindergarteners a book about a turtle and a tiger fighting over a flower they both wanted. As I read, the five year old to my right would interject, “that not nice” as the plot thickened between the feuding animals. While it was all I could to not just to burst out laughing each time he said it because he was so serious, at the same time I was moved that even a five year old could pick out behaviors that are not kind to others. Today prioritize being nice, even if other around you are not. While I am the teacher, that small voice taught me to look into my own actions for kindness and simply be nice.
Always good to be kind - to every age. I think purpose in life is so important and I know teaching those children will serve as a daily reminder to be kind and lead by example. I have been practicing random acts of kindness….each day and they make me smile too.
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