Virtue of the Month: Kindness

Each month I choose a theme for our class. In months past we have discussed gratitude, perseverance and responsibility. Within each month I have a quote of the week that I pass out and discuss with my students. Oftentimes I will issue a non-obligatory challenge that is related to the quote. This month we are discussing kindness. The quote for the week is from Mark Twain. He said, "I can live for two months on one good compliment". I think this is a great quote because it is so true. It is amazing how one good accolade can carry us through a lot of self doubt and frustration. On the other side, one mean remark can ring in my ears for much longer than two months. It is amazing how our decision to either be kind or not can weigh out so much longer than the few seconds it takes to state our message. Let's all be a little kinder. Let's all be a little quicker to compliment someone on a job well done. Let's all be a little slower to criticize and complain. I know that if we do this, kindness will prevail and life will be just that much sweeter.