The Repair Work Essential

How to Raise Kind Kids: And Get Respect, Gratitude, and a Happier Family in the Bargain by Thomas Lickona
Penguin Books, April 10, 2018

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A book to inspire conversations about what we believe and how we act, Thomas Lickona's How to Raise Kind Kids explores what kindness is (hint: it's more than just actions), why it matters, and how to help children be kind both now and as they grow into adults. From making character a top priority to suggesting that we exercise parental authority wisely, Lickona weaves together anecdotes, research, and pragmatic tools in service of an uplifting vision. By naming teachers as partners in parenting and child-rearing, he opens space to explore the critical role schools play in helping children learn to be kind, compassionate, and inclusive. Children have moral lives from the very beginning, with the innate capacity for both kindness and cruelty; schools are experimental laboratories where children have the opportunity to make mistakes, recover, and do the repair work essential to moral development. The implications are clear: schools that want to develop kindness in students will regularly teach children to be courteous and caring; they will have a coordinated approach to teaching character, emotional intelligence, and social-emotional learning; they will integrate cooperative learning into their instructional practices; and they will find appropriate ways to listen to and include student voices.