Power Of Kindness At Baxter Primary School

Friday brings to a close Kindness Week at Baxter Primary School.

Principal Marsha Wyatt and Counselor Leah Burnett, said the week was about showing kids the impact of being kind to each other. Burnett said that reinforcing the power of kindness matters when it might not be the easiest option.

“At an elementary school we deal with conflict,” Burnett said. “When kids have anger or frustrations, what we do with that. I feel like even with frustrations when things get challenging, just being kind. And just also to be able to look at the world as bigger than just them.”

Burnett said Kindness Week went beyond the school building, with a service project for health care workers. She said they put together hero recharge kits with snacks, drinks, sanitizer and other items to brighten their day.

“The heroes of 2020 and 2021 are our health care workers,” Burnett said. “We realize and our kids have seen it, they’re young but they have seen it. Their parents, these health care workers are exhausted and we just wanted to be a bright spot in their day.”

Principal Wyatt said that taking responsibility to promote kindness is important for schools. Wyatt said schools cannot assume kids are learning these skills at home.

“We as teachers in the building, we are those people who are supposed to teach, model and celebrate when we see those students,” Wyatt said. “Or see one another here within the building doing something to promote kindness. Because if we’re not teaching them, some of our students may not be taught that within their homes. So, it’s our job to teach them what kindness even looks like because some of them come to us and they don’t know.”

Burnett said Kindness Week was shaped by the Great Kindness Challenge. Which sets up one week with the goal to do as many acts of kindness as possible.