With colored chalk in hand, Singing River Academy fifth graders spent Wednesday, Sept. 18, writing positive messages of encouragement and inspiration on the sidewalks surrounding their school.
The work is part of the national “Kindness in Chalk” movement which is sweeping across schools, neighborhoods and cities across the country. Each month, SRA guidance counselor Emily Salter teaches a guidance lesson to all 240 fifth graders.
“This month the lesson was on kindness, and we talked about ways to express being kind,” Salter said. “At this age, children struggle with so much negativity in the media. We wanted to inspire the children and show
them that kindness inspires kindness.
“We teach the students about bullying and that kindness is the opposite of bullying,” Salter said. “We want to promote positive thinking, so we asked the students to find uplifting quotes and words of encouragement they could leave on the sidewalk for others to find when walking to and from classes or walking to and from the buses. We also asked them to reflect on the message of those words and what they truly meant.”
Salter said bullying awareness is important with the hope that these chalk messages will lift up the spirits of those who read these words.
“We need to talk to our children about how to handle situations and stand up for what is right, but also that kindness is a virtue that can come in the form of a hug, a compliment or even a message on a sidewalk,” she said. “It’s as simple and powerful as that.” #bethelight #kindnessinchalk
