Last fall, I had the privilege of presenting at Lincoln Elementary School in New Jersey. As usual, I shared my philosophy that everyone has the ability to positively impact someone else’s life regardless of circumstances, to be a w true world changer. During our 15 Days of Kindness challenge, I noticed one fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Rodriguez, taking particularly detailed notes and asking thoughtful questions about implementation strategies after the presentation.
About six weeks after our assembly, Ms. Rodriguez reached out with what she called a “kindness transformation” story that exemplifies exactly why I do this work.
A Simple Daily Practice
“Brian, I have to tell you what’s happened since your presentation,” Ms. Rodriguez began during our call. “I’ve always struggled with my morning class—twenty-eight diverse students with varying academic and emotional needs. Some were clearly feeling excluded, participation was inconsistent, and the overall atmosphere lacked cohesion.”
Taking inspiration from our Kindness Ninja concept, Ms. Rodriguez implemented what she called the “Morning Kindness Circle”—a simple five-minute routine at the start of each day.
“We begin by sitting in a circle, and I ask three students each day to share one genuine compliment or expression of gratitude toward another classmate,” she explained. “Then, I invite anyone who experienced or witnessed kindness the previous day to share that story. We end by setting a collective kindness intention for the day.”
What struck me most was the intentional simplicity. This wasn’t an elaborate program requiring special materials or hours of preparation—just five dedicated minutes to center the classroom experience around kindness.
The Measurable Impact
The results were remarkable and began appearing almost immediately. First, Ms. Rodriguez noticed that students who rarely participated in class discussions were suddenly volunteering during the Kindness Circle. The safety of the structured format gave them confidence to speak.
“After three weeks, I started seeing kindness spreading beyond the circle,” she told me. “Students were voluntarily helping each other with assignments, including classmates they’d previously avoided in group work. My classroom management issues decreased by almost 40%. I was spending more time teaching and less time addressing behavioral problems.”
What particularly impressed me as a kindness advocate was how Ms. Rodriguez measured the impact. She kept a simple tally of participation rates before and after implementing the routine, noting a 27% increase in voluntary classroom participation across all student demographics. She also tracked inclusion patterns during recess and group work, finding significantly more cross-social group interaction than before.
Creating Psychological Safety Through Kindness
As educational professionals, you understand that learning can only flourish in an environment where students feel psychologically safe. Ms. Rodriguez explained that the Morning Kindness Circle created exactly this kind of safety.
“One of my most academically struggling students told me, ‘I’m not scared to try anymore because I know people in this class care about me, not just what I get right,'” she shared. “That statement alone validated everything we’ve been working toward.”
The routine’s success lies in its consistency and authenticity. By making kindness a daily practice rather than a one-time lesson, Ms. Rodriguez embedded compassion into the fabric of her classroom culture. The circle created a tangible way for students to exercise their kindness muscles every single day, reinforcing that being kind isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we do.
Your Kindness Journey Begins With One Step
What I love about Ms. Rodriguez’s approach is how accessible it is for any educator. You don’t need special resources or extensive training to implement a kindness routine. You simply need the commitment to create space for compassion to grow systematically within your classroom walls.
As I remind the students in my assemblies, becoming a Kindness Ninja starts with three simple steps: Start Small, Be Brave, and Be Kind. Ms. Rodriguez exemplified this perfectly—starting with just five minutes daily, bravely creating a new routine in a challenging classroom, and consistently modeling kindness herself.
Her story reinforces what I’ve witnessed in schools nationwide: kindness isn’t just a nice additional value—it’s a fundamental catalyst for academic engagement, inclusive behavior, and positive classroom culture. When we make kindness measurable and intentional, we create environments where every student can thrive.
The next time you’re looking to transform your classroom culture, remember Ms. Rodriguez and her Morning Kindness Circle. Sometimes the most profound changes come from the simplest practices, consistently applied.
As educational professionals, you hold tremendous power to shape not just what students learn, but how they treat each other for years to come. The consistent practice of kindness creates ripples that extend far beyond classroom walls. I’ve witnessed this transformation in over 1,000 schools across the country, and I’m continually humbled by educators like Ms. Rodriguez who take our message and translate it into daily action.
WRITTEN BY | BRIAN WILLIAMS
Brian Williams is a Global Impact Speaker & Founder of Think Kindness. He has spoken to over 1.1 million people across North America, documented 3.1 Million acts of kindness, traveled to 19 times and has collected over 300K pairs of shoes for children in need.