Kindness Reconfigured

The Chain of Kindness* may never reach Jupiter after all, but its essence just might. Recording observations of thoughtful actions on flame-retardant construction paper is now a thing of the past, simply because the paper is no longer commercially available.

Recorded observations were torn to bits, blended with water and glue and hand-formed into new containers – trays that hold paper for future observations, and peace pots designed to gift small plants or sold to raise money for a child’s own foundation that supports pets without homes.

At the start of this school year, our class encountered the problem of having no paper that would both sustain the tradition of our chain and conform to the town’s fire laws. The limits, imposed by necessity, afforded the opportunity to reflect on how to make observed acts of kindness visible while at the same time considering our responsibility to the environment.

Students brainstormed solutions, and from them, the Jar of Kindness (Jar) made its debut:

• Reuse: Rather than purchase a new container, we found a glass cylinder, formerly a vase, to hold our rolled up strips of paper. 

• Reduce: We cut smaller strips to conserve paper. We no longer use tape to form links on the chain. 

• Recycle: The paper crafts we make are now biodegradable. We can make our own glue with simple ingredients like skim milk, vinegar, baking soda and water, rather than resorting to a readily available commercial product that is not compostable.

The Dalai Lama said, “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” The direct result of transforming the Chain of Kindness into a Jar of Kindness reflected students’ ability to first understand a problem, accept it, and then work collectively to solve it. The good fortune came in finding that through the necessity of change, we could make deliberate decisions to reduce waste. Maybe the best part of all is that observations of kindness have filled the Jar twice and we’re only in the sixth week of school.

*See previous blog post for description

The Chain of Kindness

It is colorful and intriguing and, like an indoor plant, it grows when nurtured. It is the Chain of Kindness (the Chain).

Fully realized, the Chain is a multi-colored streamer made of linked paper strips. A thumbtack secures it high on the classroom wall every three feet or so. Links dip from the weight and rise to meet the next thumbtack. The end of the Chain hangs low enough for students to access. When it reaches the floor an excited child informs a teacher to hang it high it once again.

Seeds of kindness come with being human. When one of us makes a thoughtful gesture, it generally makes the giver and recipient feel good.  When another bears witness to the act, positive feelings spread. 

Sowing the seeds for the Chain literally involves cutting flame-retardant paper into uniform strips and putting them an easily accessible location with pencils nearby.

Intention fosters the Chain’s growth. Fueled by a brainstorming session around ideas of kindness, modeling the recording of an observation, and periodic reminders (a morning message or a challenge to a kindness spy), the Chain flourishes.

Initially, the link’s author is the only one to know what he or she records. Countless acts of kindness occur throughout the day. By observing and recording each one, we celebrate them again. Linked together, these observations join to create a whole, decorative presence in a classroom or home environment — one that symbolizes compassion.

Each written acknowledgement of kindness both heightens the awareness of and perpetuates a feeling of good will in its author. When each individual contributes to the Chain’s development, a spirit of generosity reigns throughout the community.

The Chain can be cultivated annually by detaching and examining it. A collection of links handed back to community members elicits smiles when they realize the impact of their previous actions.

My mom made me breakfast.

Emily held the door open for me.

Max helped me tie my shoes.

Terrence made me feel better me when I felt sad.

Sorting links into piles with like colors, the paper can be regenerated into paper pulp for reuse as an art medium. Molding the pulp into the form of a container repurposes the kindness-infused paper into a container, a Peace Bowl, for a new chain. 

Seeds of kindness spread when shared. Not only does one act of kindness beget another; the gift of a Peace Bowl with paper cut to size propagates more Chains.

Imagine the power of the ultimate chain of kindness: a chain cultivated between people, connected between areas within an institution, communities, and even countries. A 7-year-old student did just that when he proclaimed his goal for the Chain to reach Jupiter. By sharing his wish with you, dear reader, my hope is to one day make his dream come true.

The Creative Basket of Joy

The Creative Basket of Joy

The Creative Basket of Joy resides on a classroom shelf, framed by a sunlit window. Neighboring plants surround it. Outside there’s a grassy slope where children play.

At first glance, the Basket is a standard woven one. It’s the kind of basket that might accompany a family on a picnic or play the essential role of holding Little Red Riding Hood’s goodies bound for Grandma. The ordinary appearance and stillness on its perch belies the positive energy the Basket effuses throughout the room. Inside, it contains ordinary discards like toilet paper tubes, wooden blocks, flower catalog pages, remnants of laminate and packaging otherwise bound for a recycle bin.

Filled with deposits of once-used items, the Basket waits for hands — ones that, propelled by imagination, reach in and grab. Larger hands deposit materials one by one and smaller ones choose from the assortment. The adult facilitates future activity that will be realized by the child’s potential and the basket is a holding place for connection between the two.

The Basket holds more than concrete objects anticipating transformation. Abstract possibilities are infused throughout. Possibilities for artistic expression, practical life, problem solving, aha moments, collaboration, what-ifs, independence, motivation and time management fill the negative space; and all are within the child’s grasp.

A child who arrives at school looking forward to social opportunities and who finds academic learning manageable or even easy, my see the Basket as a distraction or fun for a break. The student who struggles daily with these skills to meet the demands of grade-level expectations, may yearn for the opportunity it affords to show what he or she knows. Either way, creative activity inspired by The Basket offers respite from the academic demands of the school day and entrance into the domain of emotional and spiritual work.

The Basket is witness to a host of interactions between its contents and an array of classroom of learners. And it’s not the only one: it’s the Montessori teacher’s job to observe. He or she knows that every child’s experience in class is at the same time unique and interconnected.  The observant teacher gains an understanding of each student’s habits of mind and affinities.  These insights propel the teacher to create custom projects or learning opportunities that will facilitate further connections and deeper understanding for each child.

Like classroom plants or a classroom pet, the Basket provides endless opportunities for a child’s innate inspiration, curiosity and wonder.  For the adult who witnesses each child’s unique creative expression, it instills joy