How Full Is Your Bucket?

Attending Meet The Teacher and Curriculum Nights as a parent last year, I noticed every teacher had these books displayed at the school my children attend.  The premise is that everyone carries an invisible bucket around and when random acts of kindness happen "buckets" are filled.  A bucket dipper is someone who tears down another person and so they are "dipping" in a bucket.  This Bucket-Fillers initiative was bought in by everyone on their staff, from the top down.  The teachers, parapros, cafeteria workers, custodians, and most of all the administration emphasized being bucket fillers daily.  Throughout the year, the conversations were constant, even with fourth and fifth graders.  What I noticed was a community that worked together making a difference.

At home, my children began talking about bucket fillers.  It became talking points at dinner about how they filled someone's bucket at school.  Filling a bucket can be small and not noticeable, but you are looking out for someone.  As a family, our conversations  about making a difference have meshed with the Bucket Filler philosophy.  The other day, we rode to the school park and took grocery bags to spend time picking up trash.  As they noticed how much trash there was, Austin said, "Mama, we are filling Wyandot Run's bucket by picking up trash!"  He got it!

Thinking about the beginning of the year, I'm going to use this idea for my classroom, as part of my building a learning community work in September.  Filling up buckets with kindness, small or big,  
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!