Spreading Love…One Drop at a Time

love drop1 When you work with Kindergartners, or elementary-aged children in general, your day can be filled with easily overlooked gestures of kindness. If you are truly fortunate, you are given opportunities to pause and reflect on those moments. At Lusher Charter School, we begin each day with a Morning Meeting, a time to gather together and prepare for the day ahead. We start with the Pledge and an address from the principal, and end with a song and a reminder to “Be Kind.” This challenge is woven into everything we do. The school recently has decided to spread this kindness into the greater community with a service project called “Love Drops.”

What are “Love Drops?”

drop signOur students have painted more than 700 “Love Drops.” These Love Drops are rocks that have been decorated with words of kindness such as “spread love,” “share a smile,” and “be yourself.” Students and teachers have deposited the Drops throughout the city, the state – even the country – on field trips and on family trips during Spring Break.

The hope is that those who find the Love Drops are inspired to pay it forward and be kind to others.

Lusher and three other schools—Homer Plessy Community School here in New Orleans and two schools in Dallas—participate in the Ashoka Changemaker Network. Ashoka is an international organization that emphasizes that the changemaker skills of empathy, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving are as valued in education as traditional academic skills. These schools collaborate on best practices and projects such as this one.

State Senator JP Morrell sponsored a Senate Resolution last week, while our kindergartners were on a field trip to Baton Rouge, recognizing Lusher for the Love Drops service project.

A Facebook page called “Found Love Drops” has been created for people to post pictures of Love Drops they find. The hope is that they also will share their planned act of kindness on the page. The posts will be shared on Twitter at #lovedropACM. By using social media, the students hope to reach followers across the country and inspire others to promote peace and kindness.

So, be on the look out for our Love Drops. Keep your eyes peeled and your hearts open! 

About Janine Murry

Janine headshotJanine Murry has been an educator for the past 20 years. She is Nationally Board Certified and is a member of many educational organizations. In her spare time, Janine enjoys volunteering at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, giving back to an organization that continually helps children. She has a passion and dedication for teaching young children. Teaching at Lusher Charter School has enabled her to focus her efforts in creating authentic experiences to enrich the learning environment for students. She values arts integration and empathy education, and continues to seek opportunities to grow in these areas. As Lead Teacher, Janine’s focus is to provide resources and support in the areas of empathy education, students with special needs, and curriculum development, with the intention to positively affect a greater number of children.

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