The Power of Kindness

‘No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted’. (Aesop)

HOM: Listening with Understanding and Empathy 

At Wychwood, we have something called ‘The Book’. Into this book we write the names of pupils who have distinguished themselves during the school year by carrying out unbidden acts of kindness. Teachers write down the name of a pupil, the act of kindness performed and often, pupils are completely unaware that their name has been added until it is read out at assembly. The purpose of this is to make clear that ‘no act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted’.

In fact, it is precisely these acts of kindness that create the sort of school and community where we can all flourish. Each year we have a special celebration day, one of the high points on the school calendar. It is a time to celebrate the achievements of pupils who have taken external examinations, to hear about the many and varied activities which pupils have participated in, and there is a presentation of awards. The names are read from ‘The Book’ and then there is the presentation of Ms Crawford’s ‘good egg’ cup. The term ‘good egg’ is not much used these days and in the past, Ms Crawford would often explain to the pupils that it is a friendly, old-fashioned way of talking about a good or kind person. The cup (which she instigated) is then awarded to a pupil who staff collectively recognise has been a ‘good egg’ during the year. It is one way we try to acknowledge and encourage the best of human virtues – kindness. And it seems fitting to be reminded of this legacy as we collectively mourn the loss of someone who upheld that virtue throughout the many years that she taught at Wychwood School.

Christine Crossley