Montrose Kids Perform 'An Act of Kindness'

MONTROSE, N.Y. – When teaching a lesson on kindness and justice, what surprised Frank G. Lindsey teacher Dana Duffy the most was the number of questions about what an act of kindness is.

In mid-January, Duffy’s students were sent home with an assignment to perform an “act of kindness.” The lesson coincided with Dr. Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month. Duffy uses the lesson, which she’s been teaching for 13 years, to show students King’s vision of a just and peaceful world where people help one another, she said.

“The challenges that kids today face are that they’re not given the opportunity to do something nice,” said Duffy. Between school, homework and after school activities, she said many kids barely have time to play.

Students are encouraged to help a younger sibling with their homework or help their parents set the table for dinner, with no more reward than self-satisfaction and another’s smile.

Performing an “act of kindness” as a class, Sarah Brizzi, 7, suggested making Valentine’s for the elderly at Skyview Nursing Home in Croton.

“I guess the biggest surprise is seeing how kids change. Simple things, sometimes you take it for granted,” said Duffy. She said one of her students came in during the lesson and said he had helped his grandmother up the stairs.

“I said, ‘How’d that make you feel?’ And he said, ‘It made me feel good because I can walk and she has difficulty walking.’”

Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.