A Message From Dana Hinds

As I spend my days in an elementary school, I often think about the idea of kindness and wonder how to teach children to extend kindness to others. Last year, I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio to a group of sixth graders and it captured kindness in a way that I had never considered. At the end of the story, the school principal challenges the students with a quote from a book: “Shall we make a new rule of life…always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?” He then goes on to say, “Kinder than necessary. What a marvelous line, isn’t it? Kinder than necessary. Because it’s not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.” It is one thing to be kind but when I imagine a world where we all extend kindness beyond what is necessary, I picture quite an amazing place. I encourage you to talk with your child this weekend about kindness and ways to extend kindness…not just kindness, but kindness beyond what is necessary. “Shall we make a new rule of life…always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?” - J.M. Barrie