Ask Us: Kindness - Episode 24

On this week's episode of PACERTalks About Bullying, we are excited to launch another Ask Us feature, where we answer questions from K-12th grade students about bullying. This week’s question comes from Zoey, an elementary school student, who wants to know more about how to be kind. If you’re a student and want the chance to be featured in this series, email your question (written or in a video) to [email protected].

Transcript

>> Hey there. Welcome back to PACERTalks about Bullying. I'm Bailey, we're glad you're here. This week we're excited to bring you another installment of Ask Us. Where we answer questions from students around the country about all things bullying. This week's question comes from Zoe, an elementary school student. So, let's hear what she wants to know.

>> Hi my name Zoe. I'm in First Grade. I want to know what it means to be kind?

>> This is an awesome question Zoe. The first thing to remember is that you're actions matter, a lot. Showing kindness to someone can make a positive impact because it shows that you care. Think about how it feels when a classmate invites you to play with them or when someone tells you how awesome your science project is. It feels good, right? Showing kindness can make any day a lot brighter. Kind acts matter and your actions have the power to make a big impact. Especially for students experiencing bullying.

Why is this? Well we often hear from students who experience bullying that they feel alone and that they feel like no one cares. Your kind actions have the power to help change that. Bullying tears people down but you can help build them back up with encouraging words and actions. We know it may not always be the easiest thing to know what you should do. Especially when you see or know someone experiencing bullying. So, remember this one thing that almost anyone can do to help. To show your support for the person being bullied.

Here's three steps on how you can do that. The first step is to start paying attention to what's happening. Step two is to think about what you can do to help. And step three is to then act on it. Let's put this into an example. You're at recess with your friends and you notice a new student who's being left out and excluded from joining other games. This is step one. When you notice how upset that student looks when they're not included.

Then step two is to think about what you can do to help. Put yourself in their shoes. What would really make you feel included at recess?

And then step three, act on it. Let's say you decide that you want to invite them to come play with you and your friends. Go up to them, introduce yourself, and invite them to come and play with you. It'll make a huge difference in their day. Other ideas include telling them that you're there for them, inviting them to sit with you at lunch, asking them to join a club or a group that you're a part of, or complimenting them on something really awesome that they did. All of these actions have the power to make someone feel valued and respected.

And remember these ideas on how to be kind to someone being bullied are actions that you can show to anyone. Speak up with kindness by letting someone know how important they are to you. Or thanking someone for something they do every day. For example, you could thank your bus driver for getting you to and from school each day. Or let your coach know how important they are to you as they've taught you new skills. However, you decide to spread kindness, know that you're making positive waves to help create a world without bullying. I hope that answers your question Zoe.

>> Thanks for answering my question. Bye bye

>> And that wraps up this week's episode of PACERTalks about Bullying. If you're a student and you have a question that you want us to answer all you have to do is email us your question. Either written or in a video like Zoe, to [email protected] We'll see you right back here next week and remember together we can create a world without bullying. See Ya.