It was a very grey January here in Ontario. It seemed like a continuous month of overcast grey skies. You know you have seen a lot of grey skies when you get as excited about sunshine as I did this weekend. Even though I know it won’t stay and we probably will get a big dump of snow soon enough, the sunshine, warm temperatures, and blue skies gave me hope that spring is around the corner.
As I was thinking of the hope I was reminded of some of the examples of positive viral videos we shared at the #peelpowerup with kids on Thursday. As we were looking at the images & video we realized how simple they were sometimes.
- a young man tying a shoe for an elderly man he didn’t know
- another holding the hand of a stranger with special needs to help them through their anxiety
As I was walking it hit me. Perhaps we love those random acts of kindness because they provide us hope just like a warm sunny day does in winter. As small as the act may be, it reminds us humans aren’t all so bad. There is hope that we can be better, that we are better.
As I continued my walk I wondered what the role of hope is in education. Education can feel like those overcast grey skies sometimes. Two steps back for every step forward. I find that no matter how grey, there are gentle reminders like a warm sunny day.
Miss Kit Kat 
Really like this post Tina. During the bleak months I’ve got to remember to commit to more random acts of kindness so I can brighten someone’s day as well as my own.
Feel like I need to do the same Nat.
It is those small moments that bring hope:
– a child who never smiles but cracks a smile when you show interest in something they said
-a child who tells another, “stick with me, I’ll show you around”
-children who shyly help our new students who don’t speak English
-a child who feels proud when you tell them that they really explained their thinking very well
-when a Kinder takes another Kinder by their hand when crying because they lost their headband
All of these moments bring a smile to my face and hope, hope for our future and hope that what we do makes a difference!
It’s often the littlest ones isn’t it. I should add the kids that have pity on me when I’m lost in their school. 🙂