They are spreading kindness and enhancing a positive culture at Daybreak Elementary School. The school even celebrates student kindness with a big parade through the happy halls of Daybreak once a month.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Isaac Broadbent, school counselor at Daybreak and a former Daybreak student himself, has stepped in, revamping school wide expectations, and together with the support of teachers, is making kindness rule number one. The work has earned Daybreak a national Kind School designation.
Audio TranscriptionIsaac Broadbent:
Through this program, Teach Kind, we were able to go through each grade and teach a variety of lessons centered on kindness and how that looks like, how that sounds like, and how that feels, and the impact it can have.
Student:
I think kindness is important because it makes people feel noticed and wanted, and it just makes people feel like they're proud.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are spreading kindness and enhancing a positive culture at Daybreak Elementary School. The school even celebrates student kindness with a big parade through the happy halls of Daybreak once a month. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Isaac Broadbent, school counselor at Daybreak and a former Daybreak student himself, has stepped in revamping schoolwide expectations and, together with the support of teachers, is making kindness rule number one. The work has earned Daybreak a national Kind School designation.
Anthony Godfrey:
We are at Daybreak talking with the school counselor, Isaac Broadbent, about a kindness initiative that's been happening here at the school. But first, talk to us a little bit about yourself.
Isaac Broadbent:
My name is Isaac. I am a school counselor here and I've been a school counselor for about three or four years. I started here, and then I stayed because it's so amazing. And, fun fact, I actually used to attend the school when it was first built.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what grade did you... How old were you when you came?
Isaac Broadbent:
Fifth and sixth grade. So, when it first opened up, they pulled us from Rose Creek to help populate it a little bit because Daybreak wasn't as built out as it was back then.
Anthony Godfrey:
Right. Yeah.
Isaac Broadbent:
And so, I was a student here and there were some familiar faces that were around as well.
Anthony Godfrey:
Some of the teachers are still here that were there when you were in fifth grade.
Isaac Broadbent:
Correct. Yep, correct. There's actually, I think, four. Yeah. Four of them. So, it was kind of cool to have a full circle where I was a student. And then, lo and behold, I'm working here with some familiar faces from back then.
Anthony Godfrey:
And how has the school changed? First of all, it seems a lot smaller now, right?
Isaac Broadbent:
It's a lot smaller. I remember this was a gigantic place when I was a student.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. That's right.
Isaac Broadbent:
But no, it's really great because obviously I'm biased. I really like this school because I used to go here. And it's great to be able to help it become a better place because the whole reason why we kind of want to focus on kindness is that in our MTSS meetings and leadership meetings, we were realizing that there's just a lot of meanness going on. Every school has their bullying instances, but there's just a lot of overall just meanness, just one-off jabs and things like that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.
Isaac Broadbent:
And so, through a process, we revamped our entire school system with our big three rules and number one is being kind. And we really tried to push that as much as we could. And so, with this year particularly, we doubled down on kindness and through this program, Teach Kind, we were able to go through each grade and teach a multiple, I guess I should say, a variety of lessons centered on kindness and how that looks like, how that sounds like, and how that feels, and the impact it can have. And then we were able to wrap it all up with a huge school-wide initiative that included snowflakes, actually.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the snowflakes.
Isaac Broadbent:
Yeah. So, as part of this program and this designation, we had to, after we focused everything on kindness throughout the school year, we had to wrap it up with a school-wide project. And that project was, each student was able to get cutouts of a snowflake, and they would write down what they did as an act of kindness for someone else. And then I would periodically go by week after week and collect those and then hang them in a main hallway that we have.
Anthony Godfrey:
So, these how large are the snowflakes? About the size of the palm of your hand?
Isaac Broadbent:
Yeah, exactly.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.
Isaac Broadbent:And we had hundreds of them.
Anthony Godfrey:
Larger than actual size.
Isaac Broadbent:
Large, exactly. Yep. And we wanted to kind of have that visual effect so everyone in the school could see how kindness was falling over.
Anthony Godfrey:
Some things were snowballing.
Isaac Broadbent:
Exactly. And that's a good way to put it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Nice.
Isaac Broadbent:
And so, we had hundreds of those, right, get submitted throughout that time window, and they were all out there on display for a while. And then we were able to submit for the Kindness designation and luckily, we were able to get that award.
Anthony Godfrey:
What organization gave the award?
Isaac Broadbent:
Oh, yes. It's the Teach Kind program. And so, it's a national program and we were able to get nominated as a Teach Kind school, one out of 32 in the nation.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.
Isaac Broadbent:
And so, it was really cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic to have that designation. That's wonderful. So, what are some of the other things that you did with students to help motivate them and not just motivate, but to highlight the great things that they were doing to focus on kindness?
Isaac Broadbent:
Yeah, absolutely. So, what I would do is I would go in and push into every class, every grade level, and have different presentations and lessons based on kindness.
Anthony Godfrey:
So, it's not just, "Hey, everybody, be kind," but it's, "This is what kindness looks like. These are some specific things you can do to be kind and some things you can avoid in order to be kind."
Isaac Broadbent:
Yes, exactly. We did a deep dive. I even, with one of those lessons, shared the science behind kindness and the psychology that goes into that because it's the only thing in this world that doubles when you share it. And there's nothing else that does that in the economy, in the world, nothing like that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.
Isaac Broadbent:
We just really focused in on that. And since it was such a high priority, we had a lot of momentum going. And so, we had a lot of those students being kind and then filling out those snowflakes. And since we had so much momentum, we decided to keep it going even though the submission deadline had passed and we were waiting to see if we got the award or not. We moved forward with this kindness initiative with the challenge of looking for kindness or writing it down and sending that to those individuals who are being exceptional.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now, I've heard about a kindness parade. Is that right?
Isaac Broadbent:
Yes. Yeah, so we have, yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Explain that to the folks.
Isaac Broadbent:
Absolutely. Yes. So, that's actually one of the things that we revamped at our school with our leadership team is we have something called an MVP parade. And so, a teacher gets to nominate an MVP for the month who has shown exceptional kindness and looking out for others. Since then, we've actually modified it to match up with different elements of A Portrait of a Graduate to be aligned with the District.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I love to hear that.
Isaac Broadbent:
And so, yeah, we've kind of modified it since then but initially, we were just focusing on kindness. And so, for a couple of the parades, it was just only kindness, who has been a leader and outstanding in kindness. And then, on the first Friday of the month, we would call all the families together of the MVP kids and they would re-line the halls of the school as well as the rest of the school and the students. And then, we would get them all together, we'd line them up in the office and then we would make a lap around the entire school while everyone's just cheering them on.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.
Isaac Broadbent:
For a good like 10, 15 solid minutes just like a huge spotlight on them.
Anthony Godfrey:
Great. So, the MVPs walk through all the halls, one from each class, with the entire school cheering them on.
Isaac Broadbent:
Yes. Lots of clapping, lots of cheering. Everyone's chanting, "MVP, MVP." So, it's really wonderful to have that spotlight on the students.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I don't remember being cheered by 600 people in elementary school. That's got to be quite a good feeling and I love that this reaches students from five years old to 12 years old. This is a wide range, so you really have to adapt your kindness lesson to the classroom you're visiting.
Isaac Broadbent:
Yep. Exactly. Yeah. And modify that so that way each student can grasp it. And then, more importantly, implement it.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what changes have you seen at the school as a result of these efforts?
Isaac Broadbent:
Well, we've actually got like hardcore data showing that our overall sense of belongingness is increasing with the Panorama data that we administer. We've also had an up...well, actually, I should say that we've had an uptick in all five areas of social-emotional learning. And it's been cool to see that actual data being transferred over from the interventions that we're doing.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wonderful. Well, before this interview, I knew how important the counselor role has become in our elementaries. I walk in and people say, "Don't take our counselor ever." We love having that role. We love having that position. And it just...this is further evidence of the huge, positive, school-wide impact that our counselors have and that you in particular are having here at Daybreak. So thank you for all those efforts.
Isaac Broadbent:
Well, thank you because, you know, like I said, I am biased, but I really love this school. And we have some amazing students and phenomenal staff.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now, I understand that you are a Jordie Award winner. Tell the listeners about what that means.
Isaac Broadbent:
Absolutely, yeah. The Jordie is a super awesome award. I was actually very surprised to have received it. Really, really cool because what happens is the Counseling department and all the counselors will get together and they'll nominate certain counselors throughout the District that they feel deserve to have the Counselor of the Year Award. And then it's the counselors that will vote on who they want to designate it to. And so that's why I say it was kind of a big surprise and really humbling because the Counseling department, as you know, we have phenomenal counselors.
Anthony Godfrey:
We do.
Isaac Broadbent:
And it's like I've learned so much from them and it's, I don't know, it was just a really cool experience.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations. This is momentum that's going to continue for a long time. So thank you for everything that you're doing. And this is really exciting. Stay with us. When we come back, we'll talk with students who are members of the Student Council who have been working to make kindness the main goal at Daybreak Elementary School.
Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
Sandy Riesgraf:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Jordan District. We can't wait to connect.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Daybreak Elementary School now talking with two students who are part of the Kindness Initiative. Please introduce yourselves, tell us what grade you're in, and then let's talk about your involvement.
Cooper:
I'm Cooper, I'm in sixth grade.
Mara:
And I'm Mara, and I'm also in sixth grade.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about the Kindness Initiative and some of the things that you did as students to help move that along.
Student:
Well, first of all, we had to help promote it, basically. Otherwise, people wouldn't know about it or anything.
Anthony Godfrey:
And are you on Student Council or student government? Is that part of why you were involved?
Student:
Yeah, we were involved through Student Council. We were both in it.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what is your role on student government? Are you attorney general or what?
Student:
We don't really have roles, but we manage the huddles, the fundraisers. Through the Tyler Robinson Foundation Coin Wars, we manage that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Nice. Who won the Coin Wars, by the way?
Student:
I think it's still going.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's still going. Oh, okay. Yet to be determined.
Student:
Yeah, like two left.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what are the huddles?
Student:
So the huddles, we have a monthly theme for MVPs, and we kind of go over that and then all of the new announcements around our school. And in those huddles, we also talk about our fundraisers, like the Coin Wars, and where all that money is going to.
Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me your involvement in making sure people knew about the kindness initiative and promoting kindness in the school. What are some of the things you did as members of the Student Council to help promote that?
Student:
We all helped in, like we have a slideshow for the huddles. We would have the main theme of the huddle, and then we'd put away like a slide or two to promote the kindness challenge, like the kindness cards. And another way we were involved is we have meetings every Wednesday before school, and we've been sorting the cards, figuring out like where this card came from, who it goes to, and then we deliver the kindness cards.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me more about the cards.
Student:
I thought it was really cool seeing all like the nice cards to each other, and it's kind of just explaining something that someone did kind to you, and then it gets delivered. And then at the end of the kindness challenge, we sorted them all out, and the reward was a prize for the class who put in the most kindness cards.
Anthony Godfrey:
So if you received kindness from someone or were treated kindly, then you reported that by using the card that was delivered to the person who was kind, and that sounds like it had kind of a snowball effect, and more and more people were kind because you were pointing it out, you were noticing it. Tell me, it sounds like you have a pretty busy schedule on Student Council. How did the school change as you focused on kindness? How did students' attitudes change?
Student:
Well, I used to be like bullied like a bunch, but I feel like ever since that's been a little less, and I don't know if that's just me being less dumb or something. But I can tell like a difference ever since we've done the cards and stuff.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I think people notice things differently sometimes when you're focusing on it. Like if you need to buy a car, all you see is car commercials, and if you're looking for kind acts, I think you reflect on what you're doing, and you notice the good things other people are doing that you might have overlooked before. Tell me more about what impact you have seen in the school after focusing on kindness.
Student:
In the past two assemblies, we've talked about doing 20% more kindness, and I think as a whole student council and as the teacher staff, we've seen a lot of change and just basic more kind around the school during recess and all those fun activities.
Anthony Godfrey:
How many kindness cards have you seen? Just give me an idea of the number given. How many students do we have here at Daybreak?
Isaac Broadbent:
We've got over 600.
Anthony Godfrey:
Over 600. So how many kindness cards have you seen coming through? Do you know that number?
Student:
Over 1,100.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's a whole lot of kindness, and I think that's really exciting. Tell me some of the specific acts of kindness that you've been aware of, either observing it or seeing it on some of the cards.
Student:
So sometimes they will be specific. It's like he helped me pick up my pencil case after it spilled, but sometimes they feel kind of shy knowing we're like sorting out and I think it's going to be like, oh, this is embarrassing. So there's like, blank did a nice thing for me today.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's nice though that you allow them. It can be a little generic if they don't want to get too personal about things. That's good. What do you remember?
Student:
I remember, like I said, a lot of like recess comments because we also have a Buddy Bench here at our school, and I feel like that's honestly helped a little bit. Just noticing people feeling left out and just inviting more people to play with each other at recess.
Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know what a Buddy Bench is, can you describe it? In the 70s it was called a Nobody Bench, but the Buddy Bench is much better.
Student:
So the Buddy Bench is basically, it's a bench outside and it's by our playground, and if you're ever feeling left out or just like lonely, you can go sit on there. And then I know a lot of the times I look over at the Buddy Bench and see if anybody's sitting over there, and you kind of just like go over there and treat yourself and like try to become friends and just invite them to more things to try to make them feel more included.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do you find that people use the Buddy Bench? You'll look over there and see somebody sitting there?
Student:
Yes, I know one of my friends that I've made from the Buddy Bench, we hang out at recess, and we play tag sometimes, and I feel like it just creates more friendships.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's really exciting. I love hearing that it's not just a chance to solve something in the moment, but you remain friends. You've made a friend because of the Buddy Bench. Tell me, why do you think kindness is important?
Student:
Kindness is really important because if someone is just feeling really bad, sometimes really bad things can happen, and even that it is just not good to feel sad and bad. So with kindness, it's basically like, I want to say weapon, but it's something that gets rid of it.
Anthony Godfrey:
You get to fight loneliness and sadness.
Student:
I think kindness is important because it makes people feel noticed and wanted, and it just makes people feel like they belong.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I like that, noticed. And if you feel noticed, I think you can accomplish great things. So the two of you are an important part of a school-wide effort, and it really comes from students. Adults try to help make that happen, but students are key to all of that, being successful. So thanks for serving on the Council and for talking with me today. I think that's awesome because you're doing great things. It's fantastic.
Student:
Yeah, thanks for having us.
Student:
Yep, I enjoyed this interview.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you'll do today!” We'll see you out there.
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