As fall approaches, the Superheroes of Kindness have taken it upon themselves to distribute some of the beautiful flowers that have grown in the school's garden before these flowers meet the cool frost that is making its way. These sunflowers have made us so happy (I know each morning my daughter and I have to use the front door, no matter what, just so we can look at these flowers and gather their story - has a deer taken some bites, did one get knocked over by an exuberant child, you know, a flower's tale.) For one of the sunflower missions we were joined by my teacher and friend, Michael, who ventured all the way from New Hampshire to join the ranks of Superhero of Kindness. It was so wonderful to share a morning of kindness with you, Michael!
For our first journey, we travelled across the street to say hi to our neighbors. Each child cut about three flowers from their stem. Now, this is a difficult task as cutting is a skill we are building and stems can be kind of thick and hard to cut. But with the determination brought on by being able to cut and give away flowers, the children used those scissors like pros. We stapled a little note around the stems which said, "Have a good day! From your neighbors, the Superheroes of Kindness." And with that, we were on our way.
We crossed the ever busy 5th Street, waving a quick thank you to the cars that saw the invisible 'Superhero Crossing' sign. The children showed no hesitation to give away this beautiful treasure they were holding. We walked from door to door, knocking, and I had to do all I could to keep all the children from happily giving their flower to the first couple of doors. Most people were not home, so we left the surprise on their outdoor chairs and mailbox's. But at our last stop, a gentleman slowly answered the door. He seemed very unsure of a bunch of children in capes knocking on his door midmorning. But as the last child smiled and handed him their flower, and said, "This is for you," the gentleman grew a huge grin, and started chatting the children up. Mission give flowers to bring smiles accomplished.
The next week we performed a similar mission, but this time we walked the couple of blocks to the Food Bank. We have been there before to donate and to sort food. But this time we were here to give smiles. This was a long walk for the children, the few blocks being the longest one we had made as a class this year. But it also was this group's first time of flying. Boy, do those children know how to fly!
There was an interesting transformation as we made our way into the Food Bank and began distributing flowers. The patrons who were sitting, waiting for their turn, looked as most people do when they are sitting and waiting - not unhappy but for sure not excited. When they saw a group of (unannounced) children in capes walk in, I must say some faces became a bit questioning and definitely less than excited. Most people's experience with a group of children that age is one in which the children are not as quiet, do not show as much control over their body, and one in which the children show some of the natural egocentricness that is natural at this age. But these children quietly walked in, looked at me, and started distributing flowers. They walked up to the patrons, handed a flower with a smile and sometimes a, "This is for you." How quickly those faces transformed into smiles, and how quickly life filled that entry way. People started talking to each other, and talking to the children. A couple of people pointed out others who needed flowers. I think I heard every single recipient say, "Thank you!" I couldn't help but feel taken over by the positive energy that filled that small entry way, and if I hadn't of been needing to herd seven three year olds I do believe I would have gone through that line and hugged each and every one of those people.
As we were walking to the Food Bank, one of the children asked which flower was for them. I answered the child by telling her that these flowers are for giving away, but that when we returned we could cut another flower just for us to take home. Michael said, "Isn't that the essence of kindness? The kindness you put out there will ripple out but eventually makes its way back to you." That has made me smile ever since because yes, that is true. And have I ever been feeling the ripples continuing out and a few returning back to me.
Our wonderful friend, Sarah, enjoyed taking pictures of these adventures, so we have put them together for you to view. Enjoy!
The school year may have just begun, but the Superheroes of Kindness have already embarked on their first mission. The spirit of kindness has been high, even without doning capes. Pre-Kindergarten students happily help the youngest three year olds find the bathroom when they are themselves working their way down the hall. Children in the four year old groups are waving and hugging former teachers and old friends. New three year olds are happily sharing swings and shovels on the playground. There is a definite air of kindness.
On Friday, one of the children in the youngest group brought in a treat she had made to share with her class. The children were so excited, they decided to make a treat to share with the other classes. Very carefully, each child spread peanut butter on top of a graham cracker. It took a lot of concentration (and a lot of hand washing) to remember good cooks do not lick their hands or utensils. Each child prepared five graham crackers (and then I broke them into small pieces). The final step was putting a chocolate chip on the top of the treat.
The children then put on their capes, for the first time ever. (This is a new group of children, not only to the superhero idea, but to the school - they had not seen this before.) We talked about how we felt when our friend brought us a homemade peanut butter ball. We then talked about how our friends in the school would feel when we brought them our treat. Very quietly, the Superheroes of Kindness crept through the hall, leaving treats for other classes as those students listened to stories, put shoes on, or drew pictures of their first week at school.
Each group took a moment that afternoon to thank these friends for their kindness. This has become one of my top memories because these children, the youngest in age and size in the school, sat up tall as the other children thanked them for this unexpected treat. Without prompt, a couple of them said, "you're welcome," back to the fellow students as they showed gratitude. Adults throughout the school showed smiles as they saw the capes reemerge.
The Superheroes of Kindness are back, with greater force. Missoula, it is a good time to get your smiles ready.
This last week the teachers at Missoula Community School returned to their classrooms. Students don't officially start until Monday, but these teachers with their big dreams for the year and bigger hearts spent countless hours preparing their classrooms and then spending time with individual students as each child came one by one to see what their classroom looks like and get a feel for the cheerful, dedicated adult that will care for them for months to come.
Now, I know many of you keep up with this blog to see what these cute children with endless supplies of kindness are doing. But today, I am going to tell you my story; a story about a random act of kindness inspired by the Superheroes of Kindess. As the new school year has approached, I have done a lot of reflecting on the effect and role of the Superheroes of Kindness in my life. I am excited to see the school as a whole intentionally continue their pursuit of kindness. Teachers have spoken to me of their visions, parents have asked if their child will be able to still participate or begin to participate, and I watched two children discuss their superpowers with one offering his powers to the other and the other graciously saying no thank you because she has her own. The superheroes of kindness are going to grow, and the city of Missoula is hopefully prepared. But I must admit that the original band of superheroes will always hold a special place in my heart, and will forever be a fine example of the perfect embodiment of the pure hearted. And before the new school year officially begins, I wanted to make sure to pay tribute to these children, these souls that forever have changed how I see the possibilities of the future.
The question became, "How?" I started thinking of missions to be kind to the children, missions to be kind to the teachers who will care for the superheroes, missions to care for the community to whom the superheroes gave their heart. It became too much and I realized my focus this week needed to fall in setting up a classroom environment in which the superhero of kindness vision can grow. As I left school today, Friday, I felt good. There was a part of me, though, that felt I had not honored that group of children right, leaving me to wonder what effect that would have on the up and coming superheroes.
I planned a weekend getaway with my daughter. The goal was to really allow for some intentional, focussed, personal time knowing the changes that the business of the week and the (most likely) unrelenting stress of the upcoming school year will bring since I will re-enter the dual role of teacher and student next week. We arrived at our destination later than I had hoped and my lady was tired from being back in full time care this week. We went to dinner and I had low hopes for the outcome as she was tired and hungry, and I had even lower expectations for the swimming that had to happen even though it was way too late but I had promised.
Then it happened. We were blessed with a very kind waitress. The funny part being I cannot pinpoint what was so unique and special about this dining experience, except that our waitress was just truly kind and friendly. Imagine your waitress approaching you to pour your water and you, stressed, exclaiming, "Sorry, but I have to take this gal to the bathroom," and bolting out of the booth. That is usually the first ingredient for an experience involving shortness and some unfriendliness. But this fine lady excused us and came right back, smile and all. She wasn't over the top. She was just herself, a truly kind person. Our dining experience allowed my tired four year old and I to enjoy each other, and still fulfill the promise of a swim today, albeit extremely late. In reality, she was probably just being herself and just doing her job. But my daughter and I were at a turning point and the evening could have gone either way, and she helped. I thought of my heroes, and wanted to let her know her kindness had rippled. So as I signed my bill, I wrote her a note, thanking her for her kindness and making our dining experience so enjoyable. Did she see it? I hope so, but do not know. Do I feel now that I have honored those original superheroes and completed my own act of kindness that may ripple itself in its own true, simple form? Yes.
Thank you, my original superheroes, for changing my life forever. And thank you, new superheroes, for taking on this role that has, and will, change lives forever.
Gratefully, Kristal
It is hard to believe, but the day finally came for the Superheroes of Kindness to help stain Sharon's fence. Even though it was rain that kept us at bay for so long, we were met with a bright (and very hot) sun the afternoon of this mission. This mission was very special to me because there was a child from four different early childhood classrooms, plus a parent with each! Another nice surprise was that when we originally talked about doing this mission, we were just hoping to help someone in our community. But as plans were laid out, we found that the fence we were painting belonged to a woman down my street, which also places her across the street from one of the Superheroes who was helping to paint. Our adventure transformed from helping someone in our community to assisting a neighbor.
Connor and Stephen
Really, the sun was quite hot and it was 5:30pm. So although the children were eager to do a mission, they were not sure initially what they had gotten themselves into. Luckily some juice boxes and bunny crackers appeared helping to ramp up the energy, and it was not too long before all the children were staining. Modeling the importance of helping those in your community, ACE Hardware donated all of the supplies needed. (Thanks ACE!)
Mason
It was quite funny looking at the fence at various points. You could tell where adults painted because the stain stretched from top to bottom, and you could tell where children painted because the paint stopped 3/4 of the way up. But boy, were those children focussed when brushing that fence. It was hard not to tear up as I watched families painting together; a dad giving stroking advice to his son, two brothers working side by side, and two other brothers rotating turns without really knowing they were doing that.
Marquez
As the children finished, parents continued to paint. And two volunteers from Imagine Missoula, Catherine and Penny, worked diligently the whole way through. These two lovely ladies stayed and finished the staining after the children's energy and attention spans dwindled and parents departed with their children. (Thank you Catherine and Penny for seeing the project to the end!)
Bridget
I am used to the children being filled with a sense of pride after a mission, talking about what they did and recounting their memories. But this time I have had the joy of talking walks with one of the children by the site of the mission, and it is positively delightful seeing the pride come out through body language and demeanor. My little lady gets slightly more bounce in her step, stands a little taller, and talks in a way that is almost whimsical. She only briefly mentions that we painted the fence, but always suddenly has the urge to go out and do something nice for someone as we walk by. At home, she now talks about Sharon down the street. "Sharon might like to plant flowers by the fence we painted, Mama," she will say. This is a child that has not only built pride in herself, but in her neighborhood. She has ownership, belonging, and a feeling of playing an important role. What an amazing feeling to have at age four.
Although the weather postponed the Superhero fence painting extravaganza, that does not mean the superheroes have been sitting idle. Last Wednesday, three Superheroes visited Sharon, whose fence we will stain, and delivered her handmade flowers to say thank you for her patience as we keep our eyes on the weather. We deviated from our norm; usually we use pipe cleaners for stems but on this day we were able to use twigs from part of my apple tree that has not regrown. Marquez, Lucero, and Bridget doned capes (Lucero for the first time, and playing the role of our youngest superhero so far) and walked down the street. We surprised Sharon, arriving an hour earlier than we had thought. But she was glad to see us still. "These are the best kind of flowers," she said, "because you don't have to water them and they last forever!" Sharon knew we were coming (we had called to see that she would be home), and had set out Glacier quarters to give each child. The children walked away beaming, not expecting to receive their own thank you gift.
We are excited to say it looks like we have an official date. Next Wednesday, July 6th at 5:30, the superhero children and superhero volunteers will gather to finally stain Sharon's fence. If you would like to join, just email the superheroes and we will make sure you have the address.
I have been able to follow one Superhero as she caught a case of kindness from a friend and has done her job to spread this contagious need to make others smile. Recently a Superhero, who we shall call Violet, received a card in the mail. The card was unexpected, as were the stickers found inside. Violet grinned the whole day long. The next morning this random act of kindness was the first thing she talked about. Violet woke up and reminded me of her mail (what a treat for a young child to receive mail) and then asked if we could give someone flowers. I expected this young lady to want to take flowers to her friend, Linn, who had sent the card. But no. Violet wanted to take flowers to a teacher from her school, "just because." She just wanted to let this teacher know, "that she is nice and I miss her." So we loaded up in the jogger and delivered a flower to Gerri. And the kindness did not stop there. The next several days were filled with Violet choosing (on her own) someone she wanted to make smile. A picture for Grandma. A note for Grandpa. A call to Aunt Katie "because she will be so surprised to hear my voice and she will smile, mama." In fact, we have three cards to mail today that have been made especially for some friends from school. It really seems as if she cannot stop, and it all started from someone mailing a card to let this little one know someone was thinking of her. My favorite was at the grocery store last weekend, when Violet looked up at the woman helping bag our groceries and said, "Wow, you are just so beautiful." I watched that woman just glow, knowing her day was just made infinitely better. Maybe even her week. Seeing the power of saying something you are thinking or feeling, feeling a little unsure of saying it but knowing deep down it will make the other person smile.
Watching Violet so happily perform these acts of kindness, some small and some not so small, and watching them ripple over a distance farther than my eye can see, has made me take a deeper look into my day. What can I do in this moment to make someone around me smile? Hmmm, I think I will go answer that right now.
Thank you Cody Schliebe for making this dream come true.
This mission, the final school year mission, is one that I shall remember for a while. The Superheroes embraced the spirit of these acts of kindness and really, truly believed they were Superheroes called into action. They flew (or ran) the entire distance with smiles and jokes the entire way. Each one had learned that showing appreciation is a most important of tasks. For this mission, they were able to take a teacher, Meg, from another classroom on her first mission. I still smile at how transformative putting on those capes of kindness has been.
The mission, which we accepted with great pride, was to deliver a thank you note to Bernice's Bakery. For the last couple of years, Bernice's Bakery has baked the pizzas the children make each month so that the school can hold Pizza Day, a day in which each child in the school is part of the process of creating pizza to enjoy together. We were charged with delivering a thank you note.
The children were very excited to don their capes and enjoy a (rare) sunny day. They 'flew' the whole time! As mentioned before, flying means running so fast that we believe we are actually flying. Usually we fly a block or two and then need to walk a bit. But the joy of the mission took over and boy did we want to fly. The children did stop at each corner, lay down, and take a nap for a minute before they took on the next stretch of block.
We took a detour to Bitterroot Floral to pick out flowers. The children were very excited to pick out their bouquet and were even recognized by the store workers. After carefully selecting our flowers, we made our way to Bernice's where we were able to hand deliver our thank you.
This particular delivery ended up being extra special, as the fellow who had oversaw our pizza baking will be leaving after the summer to pursue photography. The joy on his face as this group of children hand-delivered flowers and a thank you note, not knowing we were also saying goodbye to a friend, was worth the trip. He brought out his camera and took a couple of pictures of the children before we flew back to school for music.
During the mission, one boy who had put his shoes on the wrong feet and initially resisted the adult requests to switch his shoes to the right feet, finally decided to put his shoes on the appropriate feet. He was feeling like he could not move as fast as he wanted. Immediately upon making the switch he flew down the street bearing a huge grin. He stopped to say, "Kristal - look! I am flying so fast there are stars coming out of my back!" And sure enough, there were. I do believe I could not have scripted a better last mission. Thank you, my original band of superheroes, for helping make a difference one mission at a time.
*The first summer mission - fence painting with Imagine Missoula - was delayed due to rain. As soon as there are a couple of sunny days, we will reschedule. If you would like to join us, just email the superheroes.
The Superheroes needed to take a break from missions the last couple weeks as they prepared for their school's presentation night and participated in some fun field trips. Although the Superheroes were not out in physical force, they managed to influence those around them still. Here is a story one of the teachers created to help resolve a debate between herself and one of the children.
In another classroom within the school, a debate has been occurring between a student (four years old) and a teacher. The child, who believes with all her heart she is a unicorn, created an animal. This animal was a pegacorn, a mix between a unicorn and a pegasus. The debate was that a pegacorn and a dragon could not be friends. It was well known that the dragon would come after the pegacorn, and the pegacorn would perform donkey kicks to fend off the dragon. But, the teacher was sure that (with help) the pegacorn and dragon could learn to be friends. The child disagreed. It should be noted the child was a fan of the superheroes and I believe has her own superhero cape. Well, in a last, very well thought out, attempt to prove these two could be friends, the teacher created a picture and story for the child.
Thanks Allison, for using the superhero way to help spread your message of friendship.
The Superheroes will be going on their last school year missions in the next week. But the superhero work does not end with the last day of school. We will be working with Imagine Missoula, a local organization, to provide a few opportunities over the summer for anyone (young or old) who would like to be a superhero to join in on a mission. Our first joint mission is coming up. A nice elder woman needs help painting her fence, and has accepted the superhero offer of help. Any child who participates will be able to have their picture taken in a cape. This is the way it will work. Because this is our first attempt at joining these superhero preschoolers with Imagine Missoula's superheroes who work during the day, we are putting out two dates - Wednesday June 1st or Tuesday June 7th (4pm both days). If you are able and willing to join this momentous mission, email me through the superhero email address telling me which day you can help. We will choose the date in which we are able to get an ample number of volunteers, both young and old. Hope to see you there!
We crossed the ever busy 5th Street, waving a quick thank you to the cars that saw the invisible 'Superhero Crossing' sign. The children showed no hesitation to give away this beautiful treasure they were holding. We walked from door to door, knocking, and I had to do all I could to keep all the children from happily giving their flower to the first couple of doors. Most people were not home, so we left the surprise on their outdoor chairs and mailbox's. But at our last stop, a gentleman slowly answered the door. He seemed very unsure of a bunch of children in capes knocking on his door midmorning. But as the last child smiled and handed him their flower, and said, "This is for you," the gentleman grew a huge grin, and started chatting the children up. Mission give flowers to bring smiles accomplished.
