Creating contagious positive energy through the written word…in the classroom.
I want to help our children
thrive
by teaching them to
feel
kindness, not just talk about it.
Imagine a world where all our children were raised to be Kindness Ambassadors…What a bright future we would have. It’s our job as parents and teachers to role model for our children the value of Intentional Kindness. When we do, we create an atmosphere of collaboration and empowerment…
and a happy engaged school community!
I will share:
Inspiring stories from my transformational journey of writing a handwritten, unexpected letter of appreciation to a different person every day for one year.
How it changed my life in the most empowering ways and can change our children’s lives too.
Benefits of kindness taught regularly:
Happy, more resilient children
Improved health and less stress
Greater Sense of Belonging and Improved Self Esteem
Increased Feelings of Gratitude
Better Concentration and Improved Results
Less Bullying
Reduced Depression
Better attendance
“When Tracey Gates visited our school, she left an impact on not only the students but on me as well. The students were fully engaged in the activity, and I could see the smiles on their faces as they were writing letters to the people in their lives that they wanted to show gratitude toward. I think this lesson of expressing gratitude is something that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.”
- Michelle, 5th grade teacher
An impactful example of how to help our students "feel'" into kindness: A high school in New Jersey played this video in every classroom and then had all 1100 students write an unexpected letter of appreciation to an adult in their school community.
Through storytelling, interactive exercises, conversation
and letter writing, I will:
Introduce the students, faculty, and parents to the idea that Kindness is a superpower that every one of us possesses, but rarely uses. When we do, both the letter writer and the recipient feel energized, empowered, and uplifted.
Have the students participate in hands on activities to feel into our limitless capacity for kindness.
Teach the students my simple recipe of the 3 Super S’s for how to write their own letters of appreciation, which they will do in class.
Equip families and faculty with the tools to continue this empowering practice at home.
Who is this for?
Students 3rd grade and older
Faculty
Parent’s Associations
Workshop length:
Can be tailored to class length. Usually 45 min-1 hour
Can be divided into 2 class periods over one or two days
Day one, learning about the power of A Few Kind Words
Day two, learning how to write a letter of appreciation and then writing one
“Several parents reached out to us following the workshop to let us know about notes the children had continued to write at home and how deeply Tracey's workshop experience impacted them. I highly recommend her presentation for students, faculty and parents in any school community!”
-Lower School Director, Portledge School