ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — At the Canterbury School of Florida, kindness is on the curriculum every day, all year long.
At the private school’s Snell Isle campus, kindergartners wear “Kindness Crusaders” capes.
Grade-schoolers proudly strut shirts that read “Be Kind Every Day!”
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There’s a Buddy Bench for lonely kids to make friends. Signs preaching “Work Hard, Play Kind” dot the halls.
Canterbury kids spread kindness beyond the school as well, visiting local seniors.
“Sometimes children think that they can’t really make a difference in the world,” says principal Claudine Cieutat. “But they can, and they do. We want our children to know that not only can we be kind in school, but we can be kind in the community.”
Kindness and character development are taught alongside math and science.
Principal Cieutat says healthier minds and richer self-esteems also lead to better learning of basic academics.
