'Kindness first': a new approach to teaching

Many years ago, when I was at school myself, education was… well… different. There was a different pulse, a different beat to what made a school a school and what made a lesson a lesson. We are all shaped by our time at school – we can remember those teachers who inspired us, and we can also remember those who maybe didn't.

For some of us school days were wonderful. They were full of friendship, learning and laughter.  For some of us it was quite the opposite. These experiences shaped our opinion of school today, and they shape the way we view the experiences and opportunities of the young people in our lives as they make their way through their own school careers.

The quality of teaching is so much better than it used to be, a notion supported by the cognitive scientist and education thought leader Guy Claxton. There are so many professionals out there who are committed to change and who are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the young people that we are lucky enough to teach.

Here, I want to consider the importance of kindness in classrooms and schools, the importance of being kind as a teacher, and the importance of focusing less on grades and more on the unmeasurable intangibles.
 
Last night I watched the film Limitless. In short, the main character takes a pill that allows him to access 100% of his brain. In a short time, the main character learns languages, how to negotiate, how to invest, he also writes a book, sorts out his relationships and becomes an empowered person.

Would you take such a pill if it was available? As a teacher, that is the fantasy, to have every child understand everything we say, to understand everything we do, and to enjoy and flourish within every experience. That ambition will never change.

But, from that list of achievements in Limitless, becoming empowered is the number one priority, over everything else, for my students. In striving to achieve this, there is a constant question about how to do it best.

Learning is not always easy. Learning is not always linear. But whilst we don't have a magic pill, we do have something else that can make a difference in empowering young people – kindness.
 
I strongly believe that there is a way to maximise the opportunity for every child in the classroom, without magic. There is a way to view school differently, there is a way to celebrate every success, and there is a way to ensure our young people are prepared not just for examinations but also for the reality of the future ahead.

To achieve this, I believe that teachers must lead with kindness and to adopt a 'kindness first' approach. "To be great teachers we have to know our core purpose, what our reason 'why' is."[1]

As a teacher, it is important to reflect on and remind ourselves of our core purpose. My purpose is to ensure that as many of the young people I teach feel that they can deal with the difficult things that life might throw at them. To achieve this, it is paramount to focus on relationships and how they are built and nurtured in the classroom.

John Tomsett points out that "teaching is a human activity, [and] the relationship between teacher and student is fundamental to whether the student learns from the teaching".

Being part of a movement that believes in the students, that believes in preparing students for the future, and that believes in providing the best decisions in the best classroom environments possible is what helps me to stay focused on my purpose.

Being surrounded by colleagues who model and embed a growth mindset and inclusive practices, as well as trauma-informed practices, supports the aspiration to establish a culture that truly believes in itself and where kindness can flourish.

Teaching is so much more than a set of results and there are many other factors that form part of our everyday classroom experience. The complex individual contexts and stories of many students in all schools, many of which we will never know, highlight the need for kindness first in a school setting.

The National Education Union in the UK asserts that we "must shine a light on the strengths and abilities we see with people and communities and support and build inner resilience". Kindness is the tool, the strategy, the approach that is needed to shine a light or to build resilience.

But somehow, this proves challenging for some because the effect of this is not quantitatively measurable. Does that make it less important? 
 
Guy Claxton challenges the education profession, asking if "some young people come out of school frightened of 'having a go' for fear of looking stupid, dependent on others to tell them what to learn and how they are doing, interested only in marks and grades – might we have had something to do with that? And if so, are we happy about it?"[2].

The simple answer is no. Many educators are not happy about it and do strive to do things differently, within the constraints of the many systems around us. With our Elevate initiative we want to support teachers as they continue to innovate, as they continue to inspire, as they continue to develop teaching and learning in their classrooms.

But we must remember that as our teachers support our events, they are giving up holidays, lunch breaks, afternoons, weekends, to look at how to continue improving the opportunities on offer for our students.

It reminds me that the profession is full of kindhearted, determined, and passionate teachers who really put the best interests of the students first. Matthew Savage reminds us that "kindness is never random. It is intentional. We make a conscious choice to be kind, or, conversely, not to be."

I know just how many teachers are making that positive decision to be kind, even if we can't see it in examination results, I know that it makes a difference.

Elevate is a professional learning community designed to raise the level of discourse around Teaching & Learning, providing a dedicated platform where educators can prioritise meaningful conversations that place Learning and Learners at the forefront.

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References

[1] What's The Point of School? Rediscovering the Heart of Education, 2008, Guy Claxton
[2] The Future of Teaching and the Myths That Hold It Back, 2021, Guy Claxton, Page 23.