Sometimes it’s the smallest things you can do that make the biggest impact on your students, and this is certainly true for a young lady at James Hill Elementary School as reported by the Huffington Post. Having lost her tooth during recess, third-grader Avery Patchett was upset that the tooth fairy wouldn’t see her baby tooth.
Instead of dismissing her worries as childish, Principal Chris Wejr reassured her that he would contact the tooth fairy personally to explain the situation and sent her home the following letter, printed on school letterhead:
"Dear Tooth Fairy,
It has been a while since you received a letter from me so I hope you are well.
Avery lost her tooth on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at our school. She placed it in her tooth necklace but went outside and tripped on the steps and lost the tooth.
She is very upset so I told her that I had written a letter to you before and you accepted this in place of the tooth. If you could please accept this letter under her pillow and leave her a gift for her lost tooth, we would really appreciate it.
Thank you for all your help with this.
Happy flying!
Regards, Mr. C. Wejr (on behalf of Avery)"
Avery’s mom, Debbie Patchett, remarked on how the “kind and compassionate gesture” turned a potentially sad moment into “a wonderful memory.” The Principal himself explained the letter by saying that “what is small to us may be huge to a child, so it’s important to stay in the moment and give children the care they need. We need to model kindness and show them they matter.”
What was the pay off of Principal Wejr's efforts? $5 of tooth fairy money left under Avery's pillow that night.
All of us lead busy and hectic lives, and that of a School Head is more chaotic than most. Still, by taking the time out of our daily routine to do something kind—no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—we can make a difference in the life of another person.
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for School Heads Vol. 11 No. 4 Kids' Random Acts of Kindness
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 30 No. 2 Student Culture Profile
