The week spanning from October 14th to the 18th has a sense of celebration in the terms of spreading kindness across not only Kaneland schools, but Kaneland communities themselves. All of this originated from Rachel’s Challenge an organization formed upon the death of Rachel, the first victim of the 1999 Columbine shootings.

This special week is dedicated to the the entries written by Rachel herself in her diary telling how she wished the world could become a kinder place. Kaneland, along with many other districts have adopted the program created by Rachel’s parents to spread kindness across all schools.

However, from the way I’ve seen the followers of this group react and take Rachel’s caring and selfless thoughts and twist and morph them to create a complete separate image of what she truly wanted. I personally can’t help but feel differently after seeing all that this program has created.

During this week, teachers or any supervisors will pass out gold tickets when they see any students doing something kind for some else. Once enough tickets have been passed out, there will be a drawing of prizes to anyone who participated enough.

This all is supposed to act against bullying, in hopes that during these few days all forms of harassment will disappear just because of competition. Our school’s goal is to encourage students to be kind to others while at the same time dangling a gold reward in front of their faces, telling that only if they are “kind enough” can they emote to anything.

According to a New York Times article entitled, “Nice Guys Finish First,”: “People who are kind and compassionate are usually the most successful.”

This week, once I first heard of it, disturbed me. Student’s only ambitions now are focused on what they might get if they behave.

Rosemary Sword, a therapist and guidance counselor, stated in Psychology Today, “Being kind is doing something without expecting anything in return.”

Not yet has our school exactly explained the reasons to be kind to some, but simply unleashed students to take advantage of the occasion and hopefully get something out of it in the process.

Mark Twain said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see,” written beneath the words of Rosemary Sword in her article.

Bullies and harassers themselves will participate in their sarcastic proclamations of changing their ways or doing any small needless deeds and being smiled upon because that’s what is expected of them.

After this week, will anything productive stay from being kind? True harassers won’t respond effectively to kindness, they’ll see it as a weakness and before anyone has finished their chiming and cheers for this week another student would have been bullied.

As this happens, the truly kind students will be the ones not participating because as anyone would say, prizes are for the greedy, and those who act out kindly to others without guidance deserve the real treasure.