Kindness is the characteristic that children want most in their teachers, research suggests.
Research by the charity Children in Scotland involving hundreds of Scottish children - described by those behind it as “the most up-to-date and detailed data on the qualities and values of a good teacher” - has found that pupils want teachers who are approachable, encouraging, friendly, caring and knowledgeable and who take account of pupils’ individual needs.
In responses from nearly 600 pupils aged 5 to 18, “kind” was the word mentioned most by pupils.
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But what does that mean? According to 2015 research cited in a previous Tes article, kindness is “any behaviour that is intended to benefit others...such as sharing, helping and comforting”. It sounds straightforward but the impact, the academics involved said, goes beyond making someone feel good or cared for. Indeed, they highlighted that these so-called pro-social behaviours have likely played a fundamental role in the development of stable societies and, consequently, the success of our species.
Schools seem to be starting to appreciate the positive impact that an explicit focus on kindness can have. Earlier this year, Glasgow City Council handed 2,000 “kindness” books to primary headteachers so that pupils could record a moment of kindness with a friend. The book is then passed to the friend who records their own good deed, and so on.
Children at Dunnottar School in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, meanwhile, tapped into something that resonated around the world when their Christmas video urging people to “choose kindness” - inspired by hit film The Greatest Showman - went viral, even catching the attention of star Hugh Jackman.
The Children in Scotland research was carried out last year and commissioned by the General Teaching Council for Scotland, which is in the process of “refreshing” teachers’ professional standards and is consulting teachers on this.
Researchers also found the pupils’ visions of what makes a good teacher did not always reflect their actual experiences of school, where they sometimes see an absence of kindness. Pupils had “some experiences of stressful classroom situations” and, therefore, a key message to emerge for teachers was, “be positive and do not shout”.
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk, a psychologist based at the University of Dundee and prominent campaigner on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) recently told Tes Scotland that, if she had her way, not only would behaviour charts be scrapped in school, but shouting would also be banned and cuddling commonplace.
*This is a shortened version of an article in tomorrow’s new issue of Tes Scotland
