In considering what topic to address in this month’s column, I was influenced by two events that I experienced during the past few weeks.  Both revolved around the theme of kindness—a theme that resonates with my interest in nurturing caring and resilience in our lives and the lives of our children.  The first event actually began this past summer when I taught two sessions of a week-long seminar related to school climate, motivation, and resilience sponsored by the Learning and the Brain organization.  The seminars, which were held in Boston, attracted attendees from the United States, Canada, South America, South Africa, and Europe and featured thoughtful observations and insights from the participants. Three of the educators were from the Monomoy School District on Cape Cod, which encompasses the towns of Chatham and Harwich.  They included Scott Carpenter, the Superintendent of Schools, Melissa Maguire, the Director of Student Services, and Marc Smith, the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.  During the week they described various programs in their school district that reinforced the social-emotional development of students.  As one example, they told me about the “620 rule” promoted by Bill Burkhead, the high school principal.  Bill wrote a blog for the … Continue reading Kindness