Can kindness be taught?

Kindness is an important human attribute that differentiates one man from the other. Nurturing these characteristics are as essential as learning Mathematics or Science. The teachers at ABC Montessori believe in inculcating kindness in children so that they develop a loving attitude towards their friends, parents, elders, and even animals.

At ABC Montessori, the teachers ask questions such as “What was the kindest thing that you did recently? Doesn’t matter big or small.” After putting this question, the teacher starts writing the act of kindness done by the students on the whiteboard. This action makes children realize that doesn’t matter whether it is small or big, even a small act of kindness can bring profound happiness in somebody’s life.

The teachers at ABC Montessori encourage the students to say ‘thank-you’ to all those people who have helped them or done something nice to them by writing sweet thank-you notes, be it to the bus driver for taking them to school, to the school watchman, or to any special friend who helps in doing homework. This becomes a fun activity as well as a sweet gesture of kindness that will delight the other person unexpectedly.

Positive reinforcement, rewards, and compliments can change the attitude of a child. At ABC Montessori, the teachers keep on reinforcing the good behavior of the children which motivates them to keep on working in the same direction. Montessori schools in Delhi are ideal to make a child compassionate and kind. The teachers keep on working on several ideas to promote kindness. They indulge students in questions asking “What kindness means to you?” and also give them daily goals or weekly acts, keeping a track of the things they do for other people in a chart that would be hanged in the classroom wall so that it is visible to everyone. This motivates the students and they become more productive.