11
I n c i t e /I ns i ght
W i n te r 201 8
Kindness is the Cure
W R I T T EN BY MARGARET BOERSMA
A
grade three
student says, “You
mean we can
be friends again
after we make a
mistake?” Students learn the
“Make it Right Formula” and
ah-ha! moments are visible in
their eyes. The thrill of those ah-
ha! moments gives me great
joy! And it doesn’t matter if it
happens with children or adults;
the thrill is the same.
Principals often want me to
address the theme of bullying
when I come into a school. I
have come to realize that every
school struggles with students
who need lessons in how to
deal with their feelings. In fact,
social/emotional learning is
a popular term in education
now, and applying social
and emotional intelligence
has become more important
than academic and technical
competence to be “job ready.”
According to the Carnegie
Institute of Technology, “85%
of your success is due to your
personality and ability to
communicate, negotiate, and
lead. Shockingly, only 15% is due
to technical skills.”
A Project with a Social/
emotional Learning Focus
Recently, I worked with a school
creating an experiential, cross-
curricular unit addressing
negative student behavior. The
purpose was to make students
aware of the impact of their
inappropriate behavior. But I
like to be pro-active. Rather
than accepting mediocrity and
teaching what was appropriate
and inappropriate behavior, the
team of teachers and I decided
to reach for a more positive
goal and outcome. We created
a unit called, “Be Kind.”
The consulting project included
four parts and provided a
scaffolded approach. There
were two classes and four
teachers participating.
1. First, the teachers participated
in a professional development