Random kindness9/24/2023 The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.Ĭopyright © 2022 NPR. All those random acts of kindness? They go a long way. And they did a comparison to the months before, you know, 12 months before that, and they had reduced their bullying in half by simply doing a million acts of kindness.įADEL: So as you go about your week, remember to smile. MARTIN: Dixon says, obviously, kindness makes people happier and reduces stress levels, but one case in particular sticks out to him.ĭIXON: Tom Tait, who was formerly the mayor of Anaheim, Calif., challenged the Anaheim School District to do a million acts of kindness. 20, 2023meaning you can have seven heart-warming days of giving back. It can change enemies into friends, you know? It changes how you feel about yourself. Then, Random Acts of Kindness Week 2023 kicks off on Valentines Day and runs through Feb. He says tens of thousands of folks, all ages, participate.ĭIXON: We provide materials. That's Gary Dixon, the president of the organization. Write a note to someone doing a good job in your company or at home. And then this week marks the annual celebration when everyone is encouraged to join in. They look like there’s nowhere in the world they would rather be.For more than 20 years, the nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness has been spreading, well, just that - kindness. Two high school senior boys, young men now, members of the choir I direct, inseparable since forever and never silent in rehearsal until Zoom muted them, chatted and laughed and danced together unselfconsciously between singing verses of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It’s January in New England, 34 degrees and overcast with an icy breeze. Scrupulously adhering to guidelines, my students are singing outdoors, in masks, 10 feet apart. We’re back in school, and we’re at choir rehearsal. Kindness in the Classroom is a CASEL approved, highly effective, evidence-based, social emotional learning curriculum used all over the world, with focuses on equity, teacher self-care, digital citizenship and kindness. We provide quality curriculum FREE of charge. It was a beautiful ballet of competence and confidence. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation Free K-8 Lesson Plans: New & Improved. In under two minutes, ambulances and police cars had arrived on the scene. A ring of people surrounded the biker to administer first aid, ripping off sweatshirts to stanch the bleeding. Several people ran down the street to note the car’s license plate number. Within seconds, dozens of New Yorkers sprang into action. The biker was hurt and bleeding, and the car drove away. Several years ago, I was walking in the East Village when a biker got clipped by a car. But the seated woman did, and she handed me a tissue without saying anything except for giving me a comforting, knowing look. It almost didn’t occur to me that anyone could see me. I was exhausted and overcome with emotion. I was standing in a crowded subway train, facing a woman who was sitting. Margaret Anne Doran, Charlottesville, Va. My parents had just divorced and had never been overly affectionate. Once, while at the airport, I saw what I presumed to be a husband and wife embrace, kiss and tearfully say goodbye. When I was little, my parents and I flew to Seattle often to visit their friends. A young man had just proposed to his partner, and everyone around them just turned to watch them take the first step into their new lives. Just as it was about to set, there was a commotion a few yards in front of us. The sun was bright coral and hanging over the horizon. We were at the beach on Martha’s Vineyard. Here, let me do it up in case you trip.” She tied the shoelace, smiled and walked on. “Hey,” she said, “your shoelace is undone. One day while walking with a stick through the city, I realized that my shoelace was undone. I have a balance problem after an operation on a brain aneurysm affected my ability to do certain things like bending or looking sideways. Her hum became a quiet song as they waited for his spasms to end. We all got off the bus, but the woman and boy stayed together. Humming quietly, she began stroking his hands. Then a woman sat on the floor beside the young man. The driver radioed for help and pulled over. Riding the bus years ago, I noticed a young man suddenly stiffen and slide sideways from his seat, stricken with a seizure. Then he would tenderly kiss the top of his head before they split up for their own classrooms. My student would carefully help his brother remove his mittens and unzip his jacket. As the morning bell rings, one of my Grade 3 students would enter the school lobby holding his younger brother’s hand.
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