By Richard Bammer
When we think of the word kindness, we may think of someone we know or remember, someone who was sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tender-hearted, someone who has all those qualities and shares them mainly by simply being their natural selves. In other words, their compassion made visible.
Right now, amid the pandemic, with its stresses and other unsettling news, kindness seems to possess an urgent currency unlike few other things, so Vacaville Unified earlier this week embarked on the Great Kindness Challenge, a weeklong program dedicated to creating “a culture of kindness” among students in district elementary and middle schools and, by extension, in the greater Vacaville community and beyond.
.Participation is optional for teachers but many have chosen to join in daily activities that, by all accounts, are fully embraced by students, giving them opportunities — virtually, of course — to practice kindness, among themselves, with their teachers, their families, and others, including complete strangers.