I accompanied nine Bonny Eagle students and two teachers on a part of their field trip yesterday to Portland and South Portland to commit 'random acts of kindness' with Kindness Center founder and author Michael Chase. The students had been to the Center for Grieving Children in the morning, where they made paper snowflakes for the children who spend time there. Then, they proceeded to the local soup kitchen to help serve meals to the homeless. They ended the day at the Maine Mall, and that's where I joined them as they handed out candy canes and carnations to shoppers. Clearly, a few of the students were a bit nervous about leaving their comfort zones and engaging strangers in conversation.
This video shows Michael Chase giving the students a little pep talk about how to approach strangers and get them to "accept" a gift. I was impressed and inspired by senior class president Jessica Ciampi, who organized the trip and is in the video with Chase, and by all the senior leaders who participated. More than anything we teachers could ever teach them in a classroom, experiential days like this are what they'll long remember when they reflect back on their high school days!
Joanne Lannin
This video shows Michael Chase giving the students a little pep talk about how to approach strangers and get them to "accept" a gift. I was impressed and inspired by senior class president Jessica Ciampi, who organized the trip and is in the video with Chase, and by all the senior leaders who participated. More than anything we teachers could ever teach them in a classroom, experiential days like this are what they'll long remember when they reflect back on their high school days!
Joanne Lannin