During my first few years of teaching, I read a book by Ron Clark called The Essential 55. Besides being an extremely entertaining story, Ron talks about 55 'life rules' that he imparted to his students each year.
The one rule that really stood out to me was Rule 11: "Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Go out of your way to do something surprisingly kind and generous for someone at least once a month. " My students and I decided that we would brainstorm and do a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) each month at our school and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of our year. While not technically *random,* these act were a great way to teach my students the value of being kind to others.
Want to join the club? Each month, we are going to highlight a different RAK that you can do with your class. You can choose to do this or any RAK of your choosing. Don't forget to come back and share with us how it went!
This month's RAK:
Make a salad lunch buffet for the staff.
Here's some tips for doing this RAK:
- You provide the a few heads of chopped up lettuce. Assign each student a topping or dressing to bring in.
- Time this RAK to happen a week after your parent-teacher conferences. That will give you a chance to explain this project to the parents and allow them to sign up for whichever topping they would like to send in with their kids.
- Use a brightly colored table clothe on a table in the conference room or teacher's lounge to place all the salad trimmings on.
- To let teachers and staff know their special lunch in advance, have your students create (or decorate pre-printed) invitations to pass out.
- Have students create 'thank you' posters to hang in the room where you are putting the salad bar.
Click here to find past RAK ideas.
It's your turn now! Go brainstorm a RAK with your class or use the one found here. Then come back and tell us how it went!
Do you have a good RAK idea? I'd love to hear them! You never know...they might just be featured on YTA in the future :)
It's your turn now! Go brainstorm a RAK with your class or use the one found here. Then come back and tell us how it went!
Do you have a good RAK idea? I'd love to hear them! You never know...they might just be featured on YTA in the future :)
I love this idea! What grade level did you teach? I teach in a low income area so I'm not sure how much help I would get from parents.
ReplyDeleteKelly
I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher