Making Everyday Kindness Easier to See

Farnhamville Elementary in Farnhamville, Iowa, is a rural school of about 180 students. Counselor Greg Slininger says the school’s goal this year was to make kindness more visible and intentional.

The school defines kindness as acting with respect and thoughtfulness toward ourselves, our peers, and our community, creating a welcoming environment for all. Through lessons like Good and Bad Teasing and Letting Go of Anger, students are learning how words, tone, and self-control shape the way school feels for everyone.

That focus took visible form around Thanksgiving, when students and staff created a Thankful for Kindness Turkey in the lunchroom. Each feather named a person in the school and described a kindness that person had shown. The display turned small, everyday moments into something students could stop, read, and remember.

Slininger says that kind of awareness has been one of the most meaningful parts of the work. The lessons have helped students become more aware of what kindness “looks like, feels like, and sounds like.” At Farnhamville, students are not just being encouraged to show kindness. They are learning to notice it.