Anna Olsen
The Kind, The Smart, The Important
This is more of a journal. WARNING: This will be fairly disorganized, but this is written as my thoughts come on this topic. I understand that much of this information may not be necessary. Please tell me how you feel about the compiled ideas and which are beneficial to making my point. Any feedback you can give will be great.
I am a major quotes person, and I’ll probably use a couple. I absolutely love any little thought that can give me a little push to keep me going. One of my favorites is by Marianne Williamson:
“We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, or fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Today, there is so much going on that I’m not aware of. But what I am aware of is that every human being has feelings and an intense desire to feel loved, wanted, and accepted. Everyone came to this earth to learn, meet people, and change lives for the better. To me, this is everything. I feel like every person I ever meet will give me a piece of his or her life to learn from and appreciate. And in exchange, I give them a part of me. It’s better, to me, to be a person worth knowing than a person well known. I’d love to mean the world to someone. We are in this life together. And each other is really all that we’ve got. There is a little bit that you can do to make someone’s life easier and less stressful. Life is hard for each of us. And you may never know just what kind of an impact you have on those around you.
This all started with a friend and leader of mine. She never once told me how to be kind. She showed me how to be kind. She paid enough attention to me as an entity. I knew that even if I didn’t matter to anyone else, I did to her; and for a while, that is all that kept me going in life. Without her, I might not have made it out on top. She listened to me. I was/am just another teenager with major drama and soaring mood swings. She is able to look past my many faults and show me all that I have going for me. This is someone that I will never forget. She has made an incredible influence on who I am and who I’m going to become. Her support is invaluable to me. She taught and is teaching me what being a friend and being kind is all about.
No man is an island. Every decision you make will influence those around you. The littlest decisions may determine the big ones. If you set your priorities straight from the beginning, you are sure to keep them up as you practice living your values, thus affecting the decisions you make for the better. As you grow and learn your priorities will definitely change, but hopefully you will be more capable of understanding your potential as you experience all that life has to offer. If you make your decisions based on what others want for you, you’ll end up frustrated and unhappy. But if you use the influence that others have provided to make logical and correct decisions for yourself, your choices will impact your life so profoundly, that you can’t go wrong.
The bum on the street didn’t wake up one morning thinking, “That is what I want to be when I grow up.” They never wished to be where they are. The turns that life handed them were unexpected and hard for them to handle. Their decisions played a big part in taking them there though.
Each of us is so different. But that’s what makes this life worth knowing and experiencing.
Now that you have a basis on where this thought process comes from: Here is my plan.
Children and Teens today don’t know what it means to be kind. And, this of course carries on into their adulthood. To many, the only person that matters is his/her self. They don’t quite understand that each human has a need and desire to feel loved. This is so important to me. I understand, in a small way, the impact that one life can have on another.
I connect best with the elementary school students. I feel that their minds are pliable they can still be influenced. And, children can lead the way for the rest of society to understand the importance of kindness.
In presenting this topic to the public, I hope to be able to carry out
“Kind + Smart = Important” week. Here is a rough draft of how this week could go.
Monday: Present to the students the topics and activities of the upcoming week. Motivational type speech to get their thought processes turning.
Tuesday: Sticky Note Day!
Today is all about being kind. Each child would dress in yellow, like the sticky notes we will be using in our “kind” activity. Each child will receive a sticky note and write an uplifting, encouraging thought or draw a picture that can make someone happy. They will then place this sticky note in a public place where people will be uplifted by the small thought. This will teach students that the little random acts of kindness they perform can make a big difference. This will involve the individuality and creativity of each student.
Wednesday: Smart
I will invite the students to dress for success. Wearing skirts, ties etc. I will invite some individuals from the community to help present a career fair to get these creative young minds dreaming big. R.I.F. (Reading Is Fun) will be held this day, each child will practice good decision making skills by picking a good book.
Thursday: Important
Students will wear their favorite color/outfit and (celebrate each student)?
(Please give input on how I will be able to teach this principle effectively.)
Friday: You are Kind, You are Smart, You are Important.
Bracelets, coloring books, and bake sale.
To me, Each and every student counts. And as for the rest of the community, the children can lead the way to a better, more kind, and smarter world. Each child may not be important to the world. But to those that meet them, the will be important. Through my platform I hope to have each and every child realize his/her own potential, and that their future is in their own hands. No one can take that away from them. There is no circumstance too hard, no situation too captivating, and no obstacle too big for these children to conquer with the help of the amazing people they will meet in their life times.
“Finding Neverland” tells the story of how author James Barrie wrote the wildly successful play Peter Pan in 1904.
Well-dressed patrons who expected dignified and “important” productions dominated the culture of the theater in Barrie’s day. Barrie sought to re-inject wonder and awe into his plays, even though he knew the crowds might not be pleased. So when opening night came for his fantastical tale Peter Pan, Barrie helped the audience enter Peter’s kingdom of wonder by bringing children in to show them the way.
Much to the chagrin of the theater owner, Charles, Barrie reserves 25 seats for his “special guests”. Charles presses Barrie to tell him whom the seats are for and to give them up to paying customers, but Barrie will not relent even as the attendant rings the last call bell. As the grand doors begin to close, the camera pans from the glamorous theater steps to the darkened street where twenty-five children are being escorted by nuns.
Barrie says, “Charles, they’re here. Do forgive them for being a bit late—short legs and a long walk from the orphanage.”
“I’m not clear on what they’re doing here,” Charles replied
“They’ve come to see the play.”
Charles says, “Now my nightmare is complete.”
As the orphans take their seats, the disapproving patrons raise their eyebrows. As the curtain rises, the orphans let out squeals of delight, hanging on to every word of the opening lines. The tuxedoed adults, not quite grasping the wonder of the play, look askance at these ragamuffins, who have caught on immediately. And then, the adults look again ate the stage and their eyes start to bright and they begin to chuckle. Infected by the children, the patrons soon get caught up in the wonder of the play too. When the opening act closes, the audience roars in applause. The now-convinced Charles peers in from a side curtain at the exuberance and simply whispers, “Genius. ”
As is the case in real life, children bring the magic, wonder, and excitement to this world. You know this if you’ve ever experienced Christmas without a young child.
I think that once children catch on, adults will do the same. This is something so important to me, which I hope these children will be able to grasp and carry on into their unknown and promising futures.
