Best wishes for a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2019. Every year is filled with celebrations and challenges, and it seems as if 2018 had its share of each. Never before do I remember living in such a divisive time where hate, blame, and fear are being spewed by so many. It's on television, social media; in short... everywhere. The children are listening.
We are working with our students on kindness and acceptance of the inherit differences in all of us. The world is incredibly chaotic at present, and our students are feeling the stress of this. At school, we continue to work with the Jesse Lewis Choose Love curriculum, which teaches Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion. Our students, and in fact all of us, are in need of a more positive climate where differing views are embraced, and where people can freely share their beliefs in a respectful manner without fear of persecution. The children are listening.
I am hoping that as we expand our tolerance and accept the differences among us, we can begin building bridges that will lead to meaningful dialogue. We, the adults, need to model being kinder to one another. The children are listening... and they are watching... and they are impressionable.
“ Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” —Leo Buscaglia