Be Nice, Work Hard, Take Care of Each Other

I have been a teacher at my school since it opened in 2003 (yikes!). Our principal has been there since we opened as well. For as long as I can remember, he’s been ending the morning announcements with these words every single day – “Be nice. Work hard. Take care of each other today.” But after hearing this year after year, I’ve finally decided that these words are going to be my new class rules. They are going to be my parting words to my own children each morning. Because, really, is any other reminder that important at the start of the day?

Sure, my son needs to look for his sweatshirt in the lost-and-found and turn in the overdue library book, but do I have to yell that at him as he walks out the door? Those three phrases really can encompass all the things we need to remember to do in a day. Let’s break them down, shall we?

Be Nice

Now, I know the word “nice” is a tired, overused descriptor (as I was told by many a journalism professor) but I think it is perfect for a daily guideline on how to act. Being nice encompasses so much – using kind words and actions, treating people with respect, being helpful, sharing and on and on. I used to have a laundry list of rules for my classroom, but it was too much for these littles to remember. Frankly, it was too much for me to remember! So now we talk about what being nice looks like and complement each other when we see someone doing just that. Tomorrow, I tackle this at home with my own children.

Work Hard

What I love about this rule is that it is up to interpretation by each person! Personalized and tailored to fit you! Trying your hardest looks different for everyone, and I remind my kids of this all the time. When my daughter is working hard on h

er addition facts and my son is whining that addition is so much easier than multiplication, I remind him that she’s working equally as hard because the skill is new to her, just like multiplication is new to him. Or when I go to boxing class, and the guy next to me is beating the crap out of his bag while I can barely get mine to sway, I know I’m working just as hard as he is…my experience level is just slightly (ahem) lower than his. Working hard doesn’t just mean completing a task. It means working smart, problem-solving, and giving it your best, even if you don’t always enjoy it.

Take Care of Each Otherhelp each other

Again, this can include so much! Help someone up if they fall. Lift someone up if they’re sad. Talk to someone if they’re lonely. Make someone smile. Make someone laugh. Call your mom. Call your grandma. Listen when someone talks. Draw someone a picture. Look someone in the eye and smile at them. You know that video that shows a boy being helped up after falling, who then helps a woman cross the street, who then gives a quarter to someone needing to feed the meter, and on and on? Really. It’s that easy. Take care of each other and spread the kindness.

Can you imagine what kind of a world we’d live in if everyone lived by these three little reminders? If everyone posted them in their workplace, classroom or kitchen? Three little rules, y’all! Granted, no matter how hard we try, we can’t get everyone to abide by these rules. But in my school of about 600 kids, we are the drop in the bucket to create the ripple of change. We are going to try hard to be the change we want to see. Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. C!

jenc
Jen was born and raised in Overland Park. After going to Indiana University for college, then living in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, she grew exhausted of circling for a parking spot and headed back home to be near family. She and her husband Matt are parents to a 10 year-old boy and a 8 year-old girl. Jen teaches kindergarten and her husband teaches high school, so they wonder how they’ll relate to their kids during the middle school years. She spends her free time cheering on the Chiefs, Royals, and Hoosiers, hanging out with family, laughing with her teacher friends, and fostering a love/hate relationship with boxing. She also loves traveling, Target, coffee, wine, sunflowers and all things pop culture.