This past Wednesday was United Way’s Conscious Kindness Day. As their website states, this day encourages everyone to

“Help create a kind, caring community by planning intentional acts of kindness on May 15.

Be (extra!) kind to friends, neighbours, co-workers—and strangers too—and share it with the hashtag #ConsciousKindness.

You’ll feel great seeing the positive vibes spread across the land!”

Although our school had a committee of students who set out to do some acts of kindness to impact us all in a positive way (thanks for the kind words and Oreos!), I wanted to take this opportunity with my students to circle back to kindness lessons we’ve done throughout the year.

It just so happened that my PLN came through, once again, without even knowing it. Through two posts shared, I was inspired and was ready to inspire my students, too. I decided to show my students two videos that demonstrated the power of our words and the ripple effect that kindness can have – we never truly know our impact!

Thank you to my husband who shared this sweet video with me! My students loved it and loved identifying all of the emotions they saw someone experience in 60 seconds. They also clearly saw the importance of having a growth mindset and people around you who will push and support you! Are your words lifting others up or tearing them down?

@AnnickRauch https://t.co/C5LIGYZSCZ

— Chris Rauch (@ChrisRauch1) May 15, 2019

The next video that my students watched was shared by Ramona Meharg, and although a bit longer (about 15 minutes), it was a powerful watch. I loved the discussions that my students and I had throughout the video, and how they could clearly see the impact of one person! This video will make you smile, and will show you how even the simplest acts of kindness can have an endless ripple effect. What can you do today to be kind?

If you are looking for a way to showcase the power of kindness and dive deep into powerful conversations with your students, these two videos are a great place to start!