At the heart of everything we do at Wellington College are The Wellington Values. Courage, Kindness, Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility: these five values are who we are as children, educators and families. They guide how educate, how we behave, and how we interact with others. Over the coming months we will celebrate and explore each value as part of our Wellbeing programme. We hope that this conversation will spread beyond the classroom to our families and the greater community as we work together to bring the Wellington Values to life.
Kindness is often the value that is easiest for young children and families to understand. We know when someone is friendly, generous, and considerate to us. Kindness towards us always makes us feel good. Learning to live with kindness towards others as in our own actions, however, can challenge even the most well-intentioned person. We all have bad days, stress, a differing opinion or strong feelings. In the face of bad days, disappointing news, or difficult conversations Kindness can help guide us to more positive relationships and better outcomes for everyone.
We believe that Kindness is important part of developing a strong character and thriving community. As adults at Wellington College we lead by example. We strive to show kindness in everything we do - language, behaviour, and actions - and with everyone we work with, young or old. Yet embracing kindness as a value isn't just about saying the right thing. It is an integral part of our educational ethos. Kindness pushes us as educators to truly appreciate and accept what each person brings to the classroom each day. It guides how we plan learning for individual need and interests. It strengthens our communications with families and allows us to work together in the best interest of the children in our care. And most importantly it helps us to achieve both academic success and the development of strong, creative, healthy, and happy people who are ready to contribute to the world.
For young children, understanding how to be kind is vital part of learning to be part of a community that shares classrooms, playtimes, resources, and even the people we love and trust (like teachers and caregivers) with others. When we work with children to use kind words and kind actions, we create a happier and more successful learning environment for everyone. This is not always easy. Young children are still trying to understand their own feelings and recognise others may have feelings that are different than their own. Understanding or naming complex feelings, or trying to solve conflicts on their own, is incredible challenging for even the kindest people in the heat of the moment. By encouraging kind hands, modeling care and concern for others, and supporting children when they do have difficulty relating to others, embracing kindness as something we value at Wellington helps everyone to work and learn together.
Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are. ——Harold S. Kushner
Like all our of Wellington Values, Kindness is not a talking point or slogan on the wall. It is an active and intentional part of who we are as Wellingtonians. As we explore and celebrate kindness together in the setting, we invite you to join us in bringing kindness to life as part of your day. Lead by example and show your children that small, intentional acts of kindness make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better each and every day. Many simple, meaningful and inspiring ideas can be found by visiting the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation online www.randomactsofkindness.org (English) and www.cnrakf.com (中文). Even better, ask your child and start living with kindness together! You may be surprised how many ideas our youngest Wellingtonians have for spreading kindness to others, and their understanding of how important it is in making our lives, community, and world a better place to be.
