Kindness Matters
Fundamentally, we all know that Kindness Matters. Sometimes though, we seem to forget. It is extremely important to me that all of us, our
IWA family, practice the ideal that Kindness Matters to all the other members of our family.
Last week at another St. Louis private all-girls school, a student received a horribly unkind note in her locker from another student. The St. Louis Post Dispatch has covered the incident, and the note has been circulated on social media.
The sadness I felt when I read that note was overwhelming. I struggle to understand how people can be so unkind and cruel. When we talk about family at
IWA, we are not just using the word as a cliche. We mean it. All of us adults are in these messy teen years together. We must be willing to barrage these fabulous young women with the message that KINDNESS MATTERS. We must not shy away from difficult conversations. It is instrumental in their growth and development that they learn that not all people see eye to eye on things or always get along. However, many of us choose kindness and respect while dealing with differences and do not resort to name calling or cruel and destructive language.
Words hurt. I know each of us has memories, sometimes of the smallest moments, when the words that someone spoke cut right through us. Sometimes those words were intentional, sometimes not, but the hurt is real no matter the intent.
We must not forget or lose sight of the fact that in these days of social media, teens feel as if they can say whatever they want because they are typing or talking to a screen and not dealing with someone face to face. We all know it makes saying hurtful things easier, but they don't make hearing them hurt any less.
Let us agree that we, the adult members of our
IWA family, will be vigilant in the message that KINDNESS MATTERS. Let's agree will talk to the teens in our lives about being kind. We will remind them of the power of words. We will not allow them to use hateful or cruel language. And we will model the message of kindness in our actions and our dealings with others in our lives because they are watching.
