\u201cComing to Wagoner is like coming to a Grand Opening!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a new student told me they felt that way walking into school each day, it stopped me in my tracks and reaffirmed my commitment to making our school community a kind place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the principal at Wagoner Elementary, I can say that kindness is not just a word to us \u2013 it has truly become a part of our DNA. We talk about it. We live it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve lived kindness so much so that we were honored as the 2019 Teach Kindness National Champion, recognition for the hard work and commitment of every person in our school and neighboring community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the pandemic hit shortly after that recognition, it only reinforced our dedication to kindness. Through remote learning and as students began returning in-person last school year, we re-doubled our efforts in each classroom (online and in-person). It was an overwhelming time for everyone \u2013 it still is in many respects \u2013 but focusing on kindness helped alleviate some of the stress for students and staff. We\u2019re so honored that this work was recognized again with the 2020-2021 Kind School Award!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social-emotional learning has been a core part of our identity for years now, but the Teach Kindness program helped us elevate that work. The resources, supports, and lessons were a tipping point for our school, helping us take our work to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, when you\u2019re submerged in kindness as a matter of course, it\u2019s so much easier to be kind in return. From our morning Community Circles to a Kindness Tree we added to our hallway, Wagoner has made kindness central to who we are. Everyone is bought in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our school\u2019s unofficial motto is \u201cyou are loved and you are safe.\u201d When a school makes a commitment to kindness, the outcomes can be overwhelming and heartwarming, just like that student\u2019s Grand Opening feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My wish is for every student, no matter their school, to have that same feeling every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
P.S.: Read more about\u00a0Teach Kindness and the other schools honored<\/a>\u00a0with the 2020-2021 Kind Schools award today. Teach Kindness is open to all Illinois schools, so any educator looking to learn more should\u00a0reach out to Brandi Watts<\/a>\u00a0at Stand for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cComing to Wagoner is like coming to a Grand Opening!\u201d When a new student told me they felt that way walking into school each day, it stopped me in my tracks and reaffirmed my commitment to making our school community a kind place. As the principal at Wagoner Elementary, I can say that kindness is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","color_schema":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34,40,52],"tags":[72,82,94],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-educators","category-family-educator-partnerships","category-teach-kindness","tag-educators","tag-family-educator-partnerships","tag-teach-kindness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n