A charitable & foundational partnerships to ensure that portions of proceeds and/or profits are channeled to organizations dedicated to building better lives for underprivileged kids.
From that moment, I knew that showing kindness at school, at home, and in our community would be our “Superhero Mission.”
In the Fall of 2015, I embarked on teaching my second graders the value of kindness. As I searched for motivational ways to inspire their hearts and minds, I stumbled across a video about Leigh Ann Errico and her foundation. As I shared the video with my students, I watched their eyes light up as they embraced the connection between kindness and superheroes.
I reached out to parents and requested that my students complete “acts of kindness” at home or in the community.
From that moment, I knew that showing kindness at school, at home, and in our community would be our “Superhero Mission.” Therefore, I reached out to parents and requested that my students complete “acts of kindness” at home or in the community. My students were so pleased and proud to share how they had shown kindness to others. This inspired me to visit wearthecapekids.com to purchase superhero capes and other products to foster kindness in my classroom. My students and I were delighted when our special delivery arrived! The capes were hand-wrapped with care. In addition, we received a few extra Wear the Cape surprises with our purchases. My students were so appreciative and inspired to wear the capes.
As we became experts at showing kindness, our class chose to rotate a “super-boy” and “super-girl” of the day to wear the capes.
Initially, my students nominated peers who demonstrated acts of kindness to wear the capes each day. However, as we became experts at showing kindness, our class chose to rotate a “super-boy” and “super-girl” of the day to wear the capes. Superheroes searched for acts of kindness throughout each school day. By the end of the day, superheroes looked forward to writing and posting an act of kindness which they observed during the day.
After receiving and using our Wear the Cape products, my students and I decided to write, revise, edit, and publish a thank you email to the founder, Leigh Ann Errico, on the Wear the Cape “Connect with Us” website page. My superheroes couldn’t have been prouder that we did it as a class. Thus, they were so excited when we received a response from the Wear the Cape foundation. Thank you for making my students feel like “real” superheroes!
Our Acts of Kindness Wall
In the words of my second grade superheroes…
“Wearing the cape is an honor. You have lots of glory wearing it.”
“When I wear the cape, it helps me be kind. We can save the world with kindness.”
“Kindness is a big responsibility. I know that. Please be kind to others. You have to stop, think,
help, or hurt. Stop, you are better than that!”
“You can show kindness whoever you are. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is or if you are 50 or 21. You can still be kind!”
“When you wear the cape you feel good. You can be a hero wearing the cape.”
“We need kindness! I think that Wear the Cape can help hundreds of kids be kind. The things that they sell can make a difference in our world. Everybody needs kindness in their lives.”
Googie man at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Note to Bullies: This guy is very good at striking people out, so think twice before you are cruel!
You may be aware of the recent controversy that arose when Curt Schilling, former Red Sox champion and three-time World Series winner, tweeted about how proud he is of his 17-year-old daughter Gabby, who is going to college next year at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island to pitch for its Seahawks softball team.
Deplorably, the famous pitcher’s kudos for his child was greeted with some horrid tweets from people that were graphic, cruel, and downright abusive. Schilling posted some of the disgraceful tweets that even broke the law—attacks against his daughter, who is still a minor.
A devoted dad, Schilling was not willing to walk away from what had transpired. Taking action to hold people accountable, he researched and EXPOSED the cowards hiding behind their Twitter handles in cyberspace. Once revealed, everyday heroes turned over the identified thugs—and good for them!
One digital assailant, for example, was from a community college in New Jersey, and another man was a part-time ticket salesperson for Red Sox rival the New York Yankees. Some of the tasteless tweets even came from students at Salve Regina University.
Speaking to their actions, Schilling said in an interview,
“This is not Twitter’s fault or the Internet. That’s like blaming Ford for someone being run over. This is people. None of these people want to be connected to anything they said. There’s a reason for that. Now the goal is, if you’re a young lady and being harassed, first of all it’s against the law. As a young lady and a human, no one, anywhere, ever, is allowed to talk to you that way. Under any circumstances. If you’re a man and you do this, you’re not (a man). Being a man is about having integrity. This isn’t a mistake. This is a malicious attempt to be evil, and if you talk like this you’re a piece of garbage.”
So what were the outcomes with the people who tweeted the explicit and violent things about Schilling’s 17-year-old (read: minor) daughter? It’s a hard-hitting lesson. Of the aforementioned perpetrators, some were suspended from school, some were kicked out, and one was released from his employment with the Yankees. And all must regret that the offense will be inked on their records.
As explained in a recent column that I penned for the Star-Ledger, digital footprints can leave scars forever, so we must post and tweet wisely. I suspect the men who typed these nasty things are regretting clicking “Tweet”, because Schilling has clearly thrown right back at them a curveball with some heat.
Parents, share this cautionary tale with your older kids. Many of us learn best with examples of what not to do and why. They might mistakenly think that they’re anonymous online, but this case study proves that they can still be held accountable for their actions—think before pressing send.
Hopefully we can draw inspiration from the Shillings’ experience, as cyberbullying is spreading its tentacles. I recently learned from my teacher friend, who is a mom of teens, about a website called “Smack High”. Apparently there are “Smack” sites for various states. You can gather—thanks to the appropriately reflective title—that these websites glorify “talking smack” and saying unkind things to each other about athletics and other school topics. I went onto one of the “Smack” sites and was as disappointed as I expected to be…NOTHING positive or productive at all.
So, a couple questions come to mind: Why are people promoting this negative energy, and how can we fight love back with kindness and encouragement?
Reminds me of the Coke commercial: Let’s all flip things around to the positive.
Well, Mr. Schilling, I hope your lovely daughter Gabby has a strong career like you have achieved and absolutely loves Salve. As an alumna, I can say that I sure did. I noted that you were a good guy for all you have done to raise awareness around amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) sufferers, and of course, thought you were super tough when you pitched a win with a severely and visibly injured ankle during the 2004 American League Series against the Yankees …but, now, I really think you are a superhero—you WEAR THE CAPE!
The New Jersey Star-Ledger this week published a guest article by Leigh Ann Errico, founder of Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation. Her piece outlines the new challenges young people face growing up and pursuing their dreams in an everything-online world. Read it on the Star-Ledger‘s website here or below!
Digital footprints can leave permanent scars for young people: Opinion
In this file photo, parents listen to a seminar conducted by Connecticut State Police Sgt. Jim Smith of the state police cyber crimes unit in Windsor Locks, Conn. Teenagers’ increasingly common habit of distributing nude self-portraits electronically — often called “sexting” if it’s done by cell phone — has parents and school administrators worried. And some prosecutors have begun charging teens who send and receive such images with child pornography and other serious felonies. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, file)
on January 09, 2015 at 12:00 PM, updated January 09, 2015 at 12:04 PM
By Leigh Ann Errico
A cautionary tale that resembles a nightmare—that’s what the 2014 Sayreville War Memorial High School football team will pass down through generations. For alleged hazing, bullying and sexual assault, the team was forced to forfeit its football season. One student linked to the investigation even lost his scholarship offer from Penn State’s football program. He, no doubt, would take it all back, if he could.
The new year offers a blank slate, but thanks to our frenemy the Internet, some choices of years past are recorded and can bring consequences, again and again. It used to be that if someone had a lapse of judgment growing up, more often than not they could sweep the mistake under the rug and, with time, it would slowly fade away. What young people do today, however, can come back and haunt them. According to a sheriff’s office spokeswoman cited in the New York Times, releasing a minor’s name is the department’s standard practice for a juvenile “charged with a felony or three or more misdemeanors.” Once released, a quick Google search could bring up the name on dozens of sites many years later.
Teens, tweens and ages sandwiching them on each end also often fail to consider that what they type, snap or film and post, send or share could greatly impact their lives. Sex video scandals, for example, are rocking schools across the country. Showing off to the kid in math class or teammates in the locker room, minors are using their cell phones to record sexual acts, usually without both participants’ knowledge. Not only is this beyond-bad judgment inviting charges of unlawful filming, but adolescents themselves are facing child pornography charges. And, most tragic, young victims of this foul crime are being pushed into suicidal mires. As uncomfortable as it may be, share stories like these with teens as a warning. Making the wheels turn in those brains that lack fully-developed frontal lobes just might prevent tragedy.
As a human resources professional, I so often encounter people who think they have a job offer in the bag, but are soon wildly disappointed. These days, a formal background check is just the beginning. For employers, due diligence includes checking social media accounts and doing Google searches on candidates before formal offers are extended.
Because the Internet has been around to record the mistakes of their youth in permanent, digital marker, presenting a clean slate will be even more difficult for millennials and their successors — just ask the team captains of the Sayreville football team in 10 years.
As kids head back to school for second semester, help them prepare for the new jungle out there. Here’s what they need to understand from a young age:
Every day, you choose how to live your life—not only how you conduct yourself as a human being, but also how you treat other people (choose kind). Think of yourself as a brand. You build value in your brand with upstanding behavior. Living a life of good character will pay off in endless ways.
Anything you or others post of you online will be in the public domain and will likely be out there for all to see forever. Think before you press send.
Beware of being filmed unknowingly. Even if you think you are in a setting that is private, don’t assume and be cautious.
There are consequences and penalties for demonstrating questionable character as you age and strive to reach your goals. Don’t let a lapse in judgment get in the way of your hopes and dreams.
Select your friends carefully. If it feels wrong in your gut, it probably is. Channel that good sense of direction and avoid following others down the wrong path. Remember:
Your digital footsteps, in particular, are tracked nearly everywhere you go.
All being said, tell young people that if something should happen to them that is humiliating, there are options for ushering in tomorrow, a new day. With the help of parents, friends and counselors, there is always a path toward healing.
In the past, learning by trial and error was “the hard way,” but today it’s even harder as rumors and incriminating photos spread like wildfire throughout peer groups over the Internet. It is our job to teach the younger generation online survival skills now to minimize the obstacles they encounter as they grow up and pursue their dreams.
Leigh Ann Errico is a certified Leadership Coach and the founder and CEO of Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation (www.wearthecapekids.com).
