Be Polite!

September is National Courtesy Month. I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you have too, that people on social media can be less courteous than we normally might be. The knowledge that no one is staring at us when we post a snippy comment or share a nasty meme makes it easy to be impolite. Fortunately, I see some trying to combat this scourge of snarkiness! I have a friend who teaches technology to junior high students, and part of his time is spent encouraging conversation in which students look each other in the eye and focus on people being people. It’s so easy to go online and forget that all those little profiles are actual people with goals and emotions and a history!

So, in celebration of National Courtesy Month, let’s focus on activities about kindness!

Sing a song of kindness with this little ditty! (By the by, this is an idea from The Mailbox Gold. Go here to get all the good stuff from Gold—full access to our online library of over 30,000 ideas, the monthly The Mailbox magazine, and a terrific toolkit for making bingo games and a variety of cards in a snap! It’s only $2.99 a month!)

(sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)

Here is an important rule:
Be kind always here at school.
Smiling, sharing, helping too—
That is what we always do.
Here is an important rule:
Be kind always here at school.

Designate a Kindness Catcher for your classroom to emphasize good deeds!