This School Has Replaced Homework With Acts Of Kindness All Through December

The world would be a better place if everyone was kind to each other. And a school in Ireland is doing just that. Students of Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Uí Choileáin, will not be given homework. Instead, they have been asked to carry out acts of kindness. As it is the season of giving, they will be doing this throughout the month of December and spreading Christmas joy. 

The pupils have been asked to show kindness to the community, their families, and others. They are expected to record this in a “Dialann Cineáltais” or "Kindness Diary" every day and will be signed by their parents. They have been replacing homework with acts of kindness for three years now reports The Irish Post. Each year has a different theme. Last year, the students were asked to practice gratitude and were asked to document everything they were grateful for in their life in a "Dialann Buíochais" or "Gratitude Diaries." This year they have chosen to take a more proactive approach and have the kids actively undertake acts of kindness.

On their Facebook post, the school suggests acts of kindness the kids can undertake and have prepared a weekly schedule they can use for carrying them out. This includes visiting, phoning, or sending a Christmas card to an elderly person or relative who may be lonely on Mondays. Helping out their parents with household chores on Tuesdays. Doing random acts of kindness to brighten the lives of those around them and make somebody’s day a better one on Wednesdays, and on Thursdays, the kids are encouraged to do something they love which makes them feel good about themselves. Spending some time on themselves is an act of self-care that the school hopes will promote the children's self-esteem and positivity. The kids can then make an entry about this in their books in writing or as pictorial representation. 

Apart from the diary, the school will also be setting up a "Buicéad Cineáltais" or "Kindness bucket" in which students can drop kind observations about their peers which will be read out during their Friday assembly. The school hopes this will boost the children's self-esteem and emphasize the impact a small act of kindness can have on a person. They also have a collective project as a class, where they must come up with a unique idea that will benefit the community as a whole. This child-led initiative is called "Gníomh Cineáltais Ranga" or "Class Kindness Act."

Vice Principal Íde Ní Mhuirí said on the Facebook post, "We are encouraging our pupils to think of the real spirit of Christmas, the spirit of kindness and giving. With such an emphasis on the materialistic and commercial aspect of Christmas, we often tend to overlook what it’s really all about... Goodwill! Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to be able to enjoy Christmas, some are lonely, some are sad, some might yearn for what they do not have and some might simply not enjoy the festivities. But there is nobody in this world who wouldn’t benefit from an act of kindness, and the joy of kindness is that it costs nothing."

The school started this project with the support of the parents who have also embraced the positive initiative by the school.