“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
We hear a lot about bullying, and there are a number of programs that focus on teaching prevention of bullying. Traditional programs reprimand kids that do not behave kindly toward themselves or others. These programs focus primarily on correction rather than prevention. Tri-City Adventist School (TCAS) in Pasco, Wash., has elected to use a more positive approach to create a learning environment filled with kindness, love, compassion and joy. This year they have used the educational program Bucket Fillers to immerse themselves in the practice of kindness. The Bucket Fillers program is a method to help describe and teach the value of treating yourself and others in a positive manner. Whether demonstrated in how students care for themselves, relate to each other in the classroom, participate in volunteer activities, join in community events or perform random acts of kindness, the focus has been on sharing the love of Jesus.
Some of the things students have done to implement the program include practicing healthy self-care habits, collecting money for charities and for needs at the school, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, spending field trip time cleaning parks, and volunteering at the Community Service Center. The teachers have included the theme in their curriculum, even adding assignments for recording random acts of kindness. The principal has demonstrated kindness by sharing fruit and healthy food items with students who have not had breakfast or have forgotten their lunches. As a school they participated in the local community Fourth of July Parade to help support the community and share about the school.
The positive impacts of the program have included closer relationships, fewer discipline issues, awareness of others' needs and how to help address them, increased self-awareness, and positive responses from community members who have appreciated the student involvement in their projects. The current principal joined the school midyear and has shared on numerous occasions how the whole school is close-knit like a family, and it has been a joy for her to join that family.
Want to see positive change at your school? Join Tri-City Adventist School and fill a bucket today.
“A Christian reveals true humility by showing the gentleness of Christ, by being always ready to help others, by speaking kind words and performing unselfish acts, which elevate and ennoble the most sacred message that has come to our world.” Ellen G. White
Erma Lee, Tri-City Adventist School principal, shares fruit with students.
Erma Lee, Tri-City Adventist School principal, shares fruit with students.
Tri-City Adventist School's float won a certificate for participating at the Fourth of July Parade.
Tri-City Adventist School participating in Pasco’s Fourth of July Parade.
Tri-City Adventist School participating in Pasco’s Fourth of July Parade.
Tenth-grade students pick up trash at a park in Portland, Ore., during their field trip.
Tenth-grade students pick up trash at a park in Portland, Ore., during their field trip.
Bulletin board in the fifth- and sixth-grade classroom focus on the “Bucket Filler” program.
A bulletin board in the ninth- and 10th-grade classroom features the “Bucket Filler” program with a focus on random acts of kindness.
