Kindness Principles
Throughout our school, we focus on principles of kindness, respect and cooperation. In our younger classrooms, teachers develop curriculum that supports caring behaviors (such as taking care of baby dolls, planting seeds, or cleaning up messes). As children grow older they are encouraged to take care of our school by participating in jobs, fixing broken objects, and using materials in appropriate ways.
We use gathering times to discuss multiple perspectives to a problem, and engage in processes of negotiation. Often, classrooms will write their own set of rules and expectations for shared spaces. When children naturally exhibit kind or cooperative behavior, teachers take note of their efforts, and acknowledge the emotional regulation involved.
Instead of rules, our school community has developed kindness principles for framing our interactions with the world.
- We take care of ourselves
- We take care of each other
- We take care of our materials and the school community
