The La Cañada Unified School District held its Family Learning Series event on Nov. 16 with guest speaker Jennifer Lindholm delivering a message on harnessing the power of kindness in the community.
Lindholm is a La Cañada Flintridge resident and is the assistant dean for Undergraduate Education as well as the Honors Program director at USC.
“I’ve been involved with student success issues for about 20 years now, and over that time, a lot my work, research and writing has focused on issues of meaning and purpose,” Lindholm said in the virtual meeting.
Although most of the things she discussed, like the idea of being kind, might be something that everyone knows about and practices, she introduced other perspectives to help people understand.
“I recognize and appreciate that we all sort of know what kindness is,” Lindholm said. “And I also feel that when we’re invested in the multifaceted issues, interests and seemingly ever-present tensions in the realm of diversity, equity and inclusion, I believe that it’s also very important for us to consider how we define kindness, and how those interpretations influence our associated actions.”
She discussed the idea of having global competence and raising global citizens by examining local and intercultural issues to think critically and understand and appreciate the perspectives of the world from others. She also encouraged residents to engage openly with each other to have effective interactions even when two parties don’t agree.
“Within classrooms or the broader school or district community, that can mean exercising patience, empathy, kindness, deescalating conflict between peers, working collaboratively to address a certain issue, volunteering and the list goes on and on,” Lindholm said.
She talked about the district’s stride in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and shared their stance on it.
“LCUSD recognizes that every person has a unique identity,” Lindholm said. “LCUSD schools will foster and promote environments, relationships and experiences where every student, staff member and family are welcomed, valued, feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect.”
But the district is not the only one who should be making strides in open conversations and kindness, said Lindholm.
“As parents, as educators and as community members, we play pivotal roles in supporting the academic, emotional, social, creative and professional development of our kids, and we do that through the environments for living and learning we create,” Lindholm said, adding that there is always more to be done to better relationships in the community.
“Practicing kindness today does not give us permission to ignore or gloss over the significance of historic and present-day biases, cruelties, inequities, systemic barriers and injustices, or to dismiss accountability for marginalizing and discriminatory behavior. Emphasizing kindness does not replace the need for social change and supporting policies and other practices.”
She left the audience with some questions to reflect on in regard to kindness:
How does your own conception of kindness shape the way you interact with the world?
What gets in the way of you exercising kindness?
To cultivate kindness within your community, what will you do?
The next Family Learning Series, “Cliques, Conflicts and Connections” will take place on Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at 4490 Cornishon Ave.
First published in the November 23 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
