Da piccola chi è stato il tuo “insegnante” di gentilezza?

My parents, especially my mother was the one who taught

me how to be good and kind to the people around me.

She always said that “if I am kind, people will be kind to

me too”. My mother was also my primary teacher so she taught me how to be good both at home and at school. I was very lucky.

Come insegni agli alunni la gentilezza?

When we teach kids to be good people we help the world become a safer, saner, more equitable place for all of us. Nothing is more important than that!

• Kindness is learned by example.  Hold yourself to the kindness standard.  You never know when little eyes are watching.  If they hear YOU gossiping in the hallway to another teacher, or rolling your eyes, or whatever – THAT becomes their example (or lack-there-of) of what kindness looks like.
• Have a kindness motto for your classroom. This would be a great end-of-the-day ritual to have with your students.  It might look at little something like this: Your students are lined up at the door at the end of the day, ready to head out to the bus stop: Teacher says:  “See you tomorrow!”Students follow with: “Be kind to one another!”Say this kindness motto every day as your students leave for home and before long it’s stuck in their brains.
• Teach kindness through literature wherever possible. Create conversions about kindness whenever you can.  Choose read-aloud books for your mini-lessons that bake kindness right into the story line – and into your lessons!
• Explicitly teach students how to be kind. In my own teaching experience, many of my kids didn’t even realize that they were being unkind.  So – you have to teach it.  Again and again.  People don’t learn to be unkind overnight, and they certainly won’t learn kindness overnight either.  In some case, you have to teach students phrases that they can use to talk to each other with kind words.  Even a simple poster like this is a great place to start.

Una parola gentile che usi sovente con i tuoi alunni?

My dear; teddy bear; you’re great!; smiley.

Come può la gentilezza aiutare bambini e ragazzi a vivere la scuola più serenamente?

Being kind and teaching kindness in school helps our children become caring, happy adults. Acts of kindness help them form connections with others which are reported to be a strong factor in increasing happiness.Our students develop a greater sense of belonging and improved self-esteem. Research on prosocial behavior among adolescents determined that being kind increases popularity and our ability to form meaningful connections with other people. Being well-liked is an important factor in the happiness of children and it was demonstrated that greater peer acceptance was achieved through good deeds. Kindness also helps to reduce depression and bullying.

Quando un alunno sbaglia, come lo correggi con la gentilezza?

I ask my students to reflect on their own work first and correct their own mistake before I help them. It gives great result. I also let them know my appreciation, love and support are unconditional, regardless of their mistakes or lapses in judgment. I usually praise my children for their ability to admit their mistakes. I try to mentor my students on how to apologize when their mistakes have hurt others.

Cosa significa per te essere costruttore di gentilezza?

Being a kind teacher helps students feel welcomed, cared for, and loved. You are compassionate. Teaching is a very humanistic profession, and compassion is the utmost feeling of understanding and showing others you are concerned about them. When you are kind to someone it feels really good because you are passing on how you feel to someone else. So, they then pass it around and then everyone has a really happy feeling.