Our Campaign for Kindness

Hello, everyone.

This post has been at the tips of my fingers for a week, but I haven't quite had the time to sit down and find the perfect words to explain what happened. It has inspired me to my core, and I hope I can adequately detail it all.

In the last post, I told you about how BT #2 and my students have been doing the Kindness Campaign. It has been wonderful watching the students grow and find the love of being kind. With the trimester ending this coming Friday, the kids were adamant about their Kindness Campaign continuing and thriving. As a teacher, when I see my kids inspired or dreaming big, I will do anything to help them reach their goal. It's important for them all to know that anything is possible if they work hard enough to go out and achieve it. From this talk of keeping the Kindness Campaign going came the idea of a video. What started out as a video where the kids would talk about the acts of kindness they performed became a video where they would challenge teachers and students across the country to join in and adopt their own campaign. My heart was full. BT #2 and I listened to ideas fly across the room about how to film, what to say, but most importantly the impact that they KNEW they were going to have.

This past week, we knew it was time to put our plan into action. We came up with the idea of tossing the ball to each other throughout the video as a way of moving seamlessly from kid to kid. BT #2, my awesome neighbor, and I bounce the ball in the hall during passing period. We love throwing it to the students as they walk by. It never fails to make one laugh or smile, so the ball became the physical symbol of kindness that we were going to use. The kids were ecstatic. They were flying around with ideas, so eager to help and make it amazing. We somehow managed to get it all filmed in one class period. I stayed up all night editing and uploading because I knew how much the students wanted to see their video.

I have never seen more excitement as I have seen on the students' faces. They love the video and all it stands for. They have been sending it to family members, organizations, other schools, and our favorite celebrities. When teachers congratulate them in the hall, they have to run to my room to tell BT #2 and me about what was said to them. They are proud of themselves, and, if nothing else comes of it, that is worth it for me. However, something deep down in my gut tells me that this isn't it. The kids have been noticed by our mayor, who has shared our video a few times and told the kids that they have made our city proud. They have been invited to the next school board meeting because the superintendent wants to congratulate them for the message they have created. They have been noticed by the national organization Random Acts of Kindness, which told them that they made an incredible video. They have over 1,600 views in just a few days, and, more importantly, they have vows from many schools in our state and others to start this at their school.

There are no words for how proud I am. These students are special. This experience has brought them all together. They just asked BT #2 and me if we could keep them all four years and be like the movie Freedom Writers. They have no clue how much I wish that could happen. These remarkable students have changed me. They have inspired me, and I will never forget this past week. I look forward to seeing where this video goes and hearing the impact it has on others. They are going to walk away from room J.12 knowing some more about commas and sentence structure, but they will also walk away knowing that they made a difference.

Go do good things,

BT


***If you haven't watched the video, here is the link to it. Please share to any and all people that you know.

Proud Teacher...

Hi, everyone...

This blog will be short and sweet. I have to brag on my students a bit, which is not a tough thing for me. I happened to be blessed with some of the most inspiring young adults one could ask for.

Anyway, I am starting to feel this love for giving and helping others start to pay off. I feel many of my students caught the "giving bug." It is the most heart warming thing to watch. Seeing teenagers, who so many people feel are self centered and disrespectful, want to be kind and do for others makes my heart melt.

Here is what I have seen...

Monday has become a favorite day in my fellow BT friend and my 3rd hour. They deliberate fiercely about what our act of kindness will be. There is always a large group eager and ecstatic to go and deliver whatever it is we have done. The kids have taken this on and have blossomed in it. I passed out a sheet with 72 lines on it. I told them it wasn't an assignment. It was merely a way for them to track the 72 acts of kindness I was challenging them to accomplish before the school year ended. As I was walking around the room yesterday, I saw a young girl pull out her sheet to jot down yet another act she had already done. She was at #25. The kids in that class are kinder, happier, and more respectful of other's feelings, and, if nothing else, I feel that is a win. Fellow BT and I are proud of them.

My journalism class is busy planning a video that we are going to make for our broadcasting unit in honor of Kid President, our leader in the mission to make this year awesome for someone else. They have planned activities to do to make this year awesome for the students and staff of LPHS. They are going to film and edit it into a nice video to represent the good that truly exists in our school. :) Another student in this class made a twitter account dedicated to Kid President. She uses it as a way to broadcast his message to fellow classmates who may not yet know about this movement.

So, what do I take away from all of this?

I am the luckiest girl alive. These young adults are the most amazing people on the planet. They inspire me to keep trying to make a difference. I have met this initiative with no resistance. They want to help. They want to be good people. Imagine if we all just did a little something... :)

Go do good things,

BT

Kindness Challenge

Hi, all.

It's a snow day here, and instead of complain that I didn't get to go into work today, I thought I would do something productive.

I am going to challenge you to something. You must not refuse. :) I'll get to the challenge in a second.

Compliments are one of my most favorite gifts in the world. They are free and meaningful. What could be better than that? If you can find something that beats free and meaningful (besides IU basketball tickets), please let me know. Too often we point out things we do not like about others, which is unfortunate. How often do we stop and tell others what it is we enjoy about them? Telling a co-worker that they you appreciate their hard work or letting a friend know that they have made a difference in your life will not result in an early death. In fact, you might just feel a little extra pep in your step.

Another perk of compliments is that after a while, you become trained to focus on the positive rather than always looking for faults in others. When this happens, life becomes so much better. Seeing the good in others makes for a much happier and fulfilling life. Make it a habit. I promise you won't regret it.

Challenge time, folks. Don't back out on me either.

Monday: Tell someone you admire why it is that you admire them.
Tuesday: Tell someone at work that you are impressed with their work ethic. (Make sure you are actually impressed. No one like insincere compliments.)
Wednesday: Tell a complete stranger something you like about them.
Thursday: Remind someone who you live with or love why you care so much about them.
Friday: Tell a kid that you're proud of them, and be sure to tell them why.

Time to scatter some joy, my friends. Let's get started.

Go SAY good things,

BT

"If it doesn't make the world a better place, don't do it."

Hi, everyone!

I hope your weekend has been fantastic. I watched an exciting IU win with some of the greatest people I know, so I am feeling pretty good right now. :)

I have been thinking hard about my next topic, and what I keep coming back to is the power of what we put out into the world. What do I mean? There is power in positivity, kindness, and love.

I have always struggled trying to understand why people would choose to spew hate and negative energy. I don't get what pleasure can come from being mean and hurting others. Like it or not, almost every decision one makes directly and indirectly affects handfuls of others. It is imperative to scatter some joy, kindness, and compassion.

Since I am Baby Teacher, I can best use my students as the basis for my argument. This trimester, more than ever before, I have been persistent about being kind to others and trying to motivate them to find the joy in doing for others. I realize it is a huge passion of mine anyway, but when I speak of doing acts of kindness just because it is the right thing to do, they run with it. I have been amazed by the magnitude in which the students have responded and want to join me in making the world a better place. My 3rd hour looks forward to putting their "Kindness Campaign" into action every week. My journalism class is ecstatic about making a video for our favorite kindness culprit Kid President. My yearbook class, along with a fellow friend's newspaper class, is planning a day where we camp out in the middle of town and scatter some joy. It's a beautiful thing to see. Nothing makes me more proud.

Be someone who spreads some joy and kindness. It's contagious; I promise. There is so much death and hatred in this world. The only way to make a change is to start yourself. Will it ever be perfect? No. I know that, but why not give some effort to make it better. I want more for the future generations than I do for myself. Teach them the pure bliss of being someone who finds the good in the world and others. Model the joy in helping others. As Kid President says, "You were made to be awesome." Let's make a difference.

Go do good things,

BT

* This is my gift to you: a pep talk from Kid President. If this doesn't motivate you to do something, I don't know what will.

The Next Step...

Hi, everyone!

I will be heading off to Barnes and Noble soon to look for more inspiration for my quest to make a difference, but before I do, I think I have realized the next step for me.

Step two: Make others want to join you!

Duh, BT. Changing the world can not be a single person mission. That would be impossible unless my name was Ellen or Oprah. (Name change?) It hit me that I would need a little army of people who want to help me as well. The feeling one gets when doing something for someone else is incredible. I need to make others, if they don't know already, feel that, too. My co-teacher and I are trying to do that with one of our classes. We are doing a good deed every Friday for someone or a group of people in our school. After the students came back from giving their bags of fun school supplies away, one boy came up to my desk and said, "BT, I really liked that. It made her smile, and I felt really good doing that." *cue chorus and beams of light* Someone came down with the "giving bug." After they all trickled back in, they were consumed with trying to figure out what they wanted to do for the next week. Happy happy teacher.

This is my next mission. I want to round up any and all people who would be willing to do nice things for others and encourage them to start doing things more often. I want them eventually to help round up even more. I want our small baby steps to start to turn into a nice job before the end of the school year.

I know deep in my heart that this is possible. We all owe it to the people before us and the ones who will be here after us to leave a positive mark on this world. Please join me. It doesn't have to be anything big. I wrote a card to a struggling student. It was small, but it meant the world to her. Any little thing helps.

Go do good things,

BT

It All Starts With a Small Step...

Hi, everyone!

I thought I would take my blog and use it as my way to communicate my steps on making a difference. After a nice chat with a very special 16-year-old, I am ready to take the first step towards my desire of changing the world. :) That sounds so strange--"change the world"--but I can't get it out of my mind, so I must do something.

I was told to start small and work my way up, so that is what I plan on doing. Each week, I am going to pick one student who I feel is struggling or may need a little extra positive attention and do something nice for him/her. That something nice will be dependent on each kid, but I am bound and determined for him/her to crack a smile. My ultimate goal is for my students to realize that no matter what they have been through, have, know, etc, that they understand how important and special they are. Our past never has to define who we will be.

I would love for all of you who read this to join me. Pick one person a week who may need a little pat on the back, acknowledgement, or smile. Give them what they need. This doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive. This is something from the heart.  If we all take small little steps, imagine how far we can go. I realize there will always be sadness and negativity, but we can choose not to add to it. Let's all try a little kindness.

Go do good things,

BT

Dreaming Big

Hello, everyone!

I hope your weekend was fabulous and full of happiness. A few months ago I wrote a post on having dreams. It's still on my mind...

BT Advice: Dream big.

I was fortunate to grow up in a home where dreaming was encouraged. As a child, my parents told me that I could do anything if I really set my mind to it and was prepared to work hard for it. It's a crime for every child in this world not to receive the same. Every one of us should always always have a goal that we aspire to achieve no matter what age.

For the past few months, I have had this overwhelming urge to do something more than I am currently doing. I am not tired of teaching; I absolutely love it with every ounce of my being, but there is an aching inside of me to make a difference. I feel deep down in my heart my purpose in life is to help others. Each day this feeling consumes my thoughts. My brain is on constant overdrive trying to figure out how to do this and exactly what my channel for achieving this is. I just wish I knew what it was. Am I supposed to write? Am I supposed to travel around the country? I am supposed to start some group/organization? Or am I way off base? I am not sure, but I will find out. I won't be truly happy and content until I do.

I urge you all to dream big, too. All dreams and goals are different, so find something that fits you. Work tirelessly until you reach the finish line. If we are always content, we may never grow. Challenging ourselves is what makes us who we are. It takes strength, determination, discipline, and gumption to go after something that may result in failure or at the very least will be draining and challenging.

You've all heard it here first. I am going to fight for this elusive dream of mine. I want to be someone who makes a difference. I just have to. What about you?

Go do good things,

BT