CENTERVILLE—Going to the principal’s office is usually associated with punishment but at Stewart Elementary, Principal T.J. Naylor has made it a fun place to be. At the beginning of the school year, Naylor came up with an idea to have kids come to his office for being kind. 

“I feel like generally speaking the principal’s office is a scary place,” Naylor said. “I’m constantly looking for new ways to promote that the principal’s office is not a mean place.”

Naylor created a Kindness Garden where students could come to his office and paint a rock for the garden when they’ve been caught doing something kind. “I love spending time with the kids and I wanted to reinforce kind behavior,” he said. “I asked the staff to always look out for students that go above and beyond to be kind.”

For example, a student in a younger grade was sitting on the curb off campus, said Naylor. “An older student could see that the younger student was upset. The older student took the child back to the office and made sure they were safe.”

It’s kind of a secret, he said. “We’re not announcing it. It’s just a way to say thank you and promote positive interaction between me and the students.”

Naylor has a big paint set in his office. “The kids can choose what color they want to paint the rock and they can put a kindness phrase and sign their name. Something like that. After our ‘rock decor’ session we go ‘plant’ the rock outside in the garden.”

He works with parents to promote that positive interaction as well. “I call their parents before I tell the students. I want them to be able to praise them as well.”

It’s not something they advertise, said Naylor. “When they get to paint a rock they’ll tell their friends and they’ll spread the word. I want it to be from the heart as much as possible.”

Naylor said he doesn’t want it to stop. “It’s a win-win on how it plays out. Certainly with everything that’s going on outside of school it’s necessary to be kind these days.”