Recently I heard a story about the upcoming anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the story, the mayor of Newtown, Connecticut spoke of the anniversary and how the families of the students and teachers wanted people to commit an act of kindness on the anniversary of the shooting. As I sat in my car listening, my mind went back to that day. I remember eating lunch and hearing the news and being almost numb. An elementary school. First graders. It is the unimaginable happening. That afternoon, I didn’t teach or assess. We played. We made art. We danced. We didn’t follow a routine or have instructions, we just played. It was our small way of honoring those first graders who would never again get to play or make art.
As I sat in my car listening to that story and the desire for people to commit acts of kindness, almost immediately an idea started to form. We are a part of something amazing. We are not only teachers, but we are this large community of teacher bloggers and readers. I started to realize that if we all banded together and made this desire for acts of kindness a mission of ours, we could truly bring out a powerful outcome. Just think about the blogs we read and follow. Multiply that by thousands. That is a tremendous reach. Now, imagine if those thousands and thousands of people did just one act of kindness on December 14th. Can you think of a more beautiful and powerful way to remember our fallen colleagues and their students?
So an idea was born. We remember. We act. We heal.
As educators, we remember and honor our fallen colleagues and their students from Sandy Hook School. We honor them each day in our classrooms in which we continue their dream of teaching our children. We honor their memory with our service. Join with teachers everywhere in committing random acts of kindness to show our love for Sandy Hook.
Let’s join together as a community of teachers, bloggers and FRIENDS to spread the word about this movement to honor Sandy Hook. Let’s not only commit to committing acts of kindness on December 14th, but let’s commit to committing acts of kindness on December 15th and in the spring and the summer. Let’s commit do kindness for Sandy Hook.
Here are some ways to spread the word:
Feel free to use the image above and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and wherever you can. Email it to all of your co-workers, friends and family. Spread the word. December 14th is a day to remember and honor Sandy Hook with simple acts of kindness.
As you share on social media, please use the hashtag #love4SH to spread the word and fuel a movement.
I am honored to be part of such an amazing community of teachers and friends. You are truly inspirational each day!