West Louisville Students Share Uplifting Messages With Kindness Wall

It was the late and great Whitney Houston who sang, "I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Well, that's exact philosophy held by Erinn Williams, a fifth grade teacher at West Louisville Elementary School in Daviess County, Kentucky.

Erinn, who wears her heart on her sleeve inside and outside the classroom, recently shared this FDR quote on social media. She wrote, “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”

February is National Random Acts of Kindness Month. It's also the same month that Daviess County Public Schools host their DCPS Be Kind celebration. Each participating school is encouraged to be unique in their approach to the theme. So, the fifth grade class at West Louisville joined forces with their school guidance counselor to create a Be Kind/Pass on the Positivity Wall.

Daviess County Public Schools recently crafted a Portrait of a Learner. That portrait identifies four characteristics that are essential to being successful in and out of the classroom. Those characteristics are: 1) Being respectful 2) Being resilient 3) Being a good communicator 4) Being a problem-solver. As Mrs. Williams explains, "You can't be any of those things without positivity."

So, this month at West Louisville, they're putting into practice what they preach. Mrs. Williams says, "Each student was given three Post-it notes" and was invited to write down "uplifting" messages and add them to the wall.

The idea is simple. If you need a lift, you can take a note that cheers you up. If you have something kind and uplifting to share, you can get a Post-it, write it down, and add it to the Pass on the Positivity wall for someone else to take.

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So far, the wall has been a huge hit. As an educator, Mrs. Williams has been moved by the mission. She, her students, and fellow faculty members are relishing in the "wisdom and kindness from ten-year-olds."

She adds, "I wish, as adults, we could take a pause and really soak in what these kids are saying. We could really learn something from them."

I'm quite positive, she's right.