As part of a Positivity Project (P2) initiative, the sixth grade team at Chenango Valley Middle School wants to see how the treatment of plants can relate to the importance of how we treat others. During Warrior Study Hall on September 20, students were introduced to an experimental P2 activity. The activity involves the consequences of speaking kindly or unkindly to plants.
Curious to see if this idea works, sixth grade teachers asked students to not treat a “PU” plant in front of Mrs. Peterson’s classroom with kindness, but rather to calmly speak more negatively to it (i.e. “You look wilted.”). Near Mrs. Vesci’s classroom will be the “P2” plant, which students are encouraged to speak kindly to, read to, sing to, etc. In front of Mrs. White’s classroom will be a “Control Z” plant. Students are asked to not speak to this plant at all.
This project will continue throughout the school year and integrate various aspects of curriculum, along with each P2 character strength. It will also measure if the plant treated with kindness grew better than the ones that were not and show students the impact of the words and attitude that they share with others.