Kill ’em with Kindness

When I was in first grade at North Hill Elementary School in Rochester, Michigan, I’ll never forget a series of “run-ins” I had with a specific para-pro in the lunchroom.

For whatever reason, she was just mean. She’d come over to our table and say really mean things, for what I thought was no reason.

Of course, I’m sure we were being louder than she wanted us to be, or whatever, but her mean approach just clearly wasn’t working. And quite frankly, none of us first graders were really doing anything wrong. We were just laughing, eating our lunches.

So, I can remember a day when she really got in my face and gave it to me about something. I don’t remember what it was, but it clearly shook me. I was really angry about it.

She was sucking the joy out of my school day. I was scared of her. Now if you know me, you know I typically don’t take any of this kind of behavior from anyone. Even at a young age, I stuck up for myself. But that only backfired with her. I wasn’t going to win this one. She had all the power. All the leverage.

So I went home and talked to my parents about it. They gave me a strategy. My dad called it “Kill ’Em With Kindness.”

At first glance, it sounds a bit backhanded or tricky. Like, be nice to some one to get something that you want from them. But really, it’s…