Lydia Thomasee, 17, (center) helps Ashley McGovern, 18, with her mortarboard May 28, 2019, before the Johnston High School commencement at Drake University. Photo: Scott Morgan/For the Register
The news is pretty deflating sometimes. But here's a little reminder that in real life, people are mostly nice.
Driving the news: Johnston schools is undergoing a 12-week "Be Kind Campaign," after noticing divisiveness in the community.
- Some of the district's schools have had to dedicate Monday mornings to deal with social media drama that happened over the weekend.
- And even the district's own school board meetings have put some on edge.
What they're doing: From TikToks to handwritten notes, students and staff are putting out messages of kindness for the next three months.
- When students return from spring break, clothespins with their messages of kindness will be passed out to clip to their backpacks.
Will it work? Back in 2014, a Harvard researcher shared with the Washington Post five ways to raise empathetic kids, including expanding your child's circle of concern and making caring for others a priority.
The bottom line: Sometimes, it's the little reminders that make a difference.
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