Creating Good Neighbors

When I first read the bumper sticker “mean people suck,” I smiled.

Whoever created it believes what I believe—we need to be kind to one another and help each other out. This idea goes beyond the Rodney King idea of “Can’t we all just get along?” It really is at the heart of a way of thinking that places a kind of expectation on each of us, that those around us can be relied upon, and not just during a crisis or emergency.

The character education folks talk about this; the conflict resolution folks talk about this, and so do the service learning folks. But where does this kind, caring behavior get learned, and who teaches it?

In a presentation years ago I heard Bill Spady say that our responsibility as educators
is to create our own good neighbors. How we do that is tricky, because my view of the
world may well be different from yours. But I know I don’t want children killing
children. I hope that view is universal.

John Dewey also believed that the job of education was to create caring, involved, and moral individuals who could be counted on to be good citizens. They would be critical thinkers, vote, participate, and become contributors to society. He believed that a democratic classroom could move the country in that direction. I agree with him.

There is no finer way to help children learn the skills of active citizenry and the idea of valuing the needs of others than by demonstrating them in a classroom. For stories that support using one’s voice to make a difference please go to the Horace Mann Upstander book award.

Ways To Create Good Neighbors In Your Classroom

Here are some ways to create good neighbors among your students:

Help children become involved in their community’s life by inviting local city or
town officials to visit your class.
Ask that person to describe what they do and how people can make a contribution.
Are there any opportunities for children to volunteer in the community?
Asking questions may inspire ideas—ask about their families, neighborhoods and places they go and listen to where they take you!
Consider having your students volunteer at school. Picking up trash, volunteering as morning greeters, or helping in a younger classroom are all possibilities. If you ask students what could be improved at school along these lines, they can come up with suggestions.
Discuss with children what it means to be kind. Thinking before speaking, remembering to say positive things to each other, and considering others’ needs first are concepts that need to be taught. Abraham Lincoln once said (in a paraphrased quote) that most people end up being about as happy as they set their minds to be. Remind them of that.
Teaching children to make good choices in order to be happy and help others be happy is a gift.

If you’d like useful resource for learning effective communication skills, check out the book Teacher Effectiveness Training, a classic by Thomas Gordon. It is filled with strategies to help educators teach children how to be effective communicators as they motivate and earn the trust of their students.

Please teach students of all ages to be good neighbors. This is how we’ll create good communities, a good nation and a good world, for everyone.

Progressive Teachers Network