Teacher's powerful video detailing her '30-second' rule to teach her students about kindness goes viral
- The lesson from teacher Natalie Ringold, 29, went viral on social media
- Along with kindness, she taught that 'we responsible for our words & actions'
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A fourth grade teacher's words of wisdom about kindness has resonated with countless people beyond her classroom.
Natalie Ringold, 29, from Minnesota, shared the sweet lesson to her social media platforms, leaving many inspired by the simple advice.
'If somebody can't change something about themselves in 30 seconds or less, then you shouldn't be mentioning it to them,' she began a speech to her students.
'If you say, "Hey your shoe's untied," or "Hey, you have a little fuzzy on your shirt there," or if you say, "Hey, your pants are unzipped"… If you tell someone something like that, they can change those things in 30 seconds or less,' she explained.
'But if you comment on someone's hair color, or hair texture, or hairstyle, or body, they cannot change that in 30 seconds or less about themselves.
Fourth-grade teacher Natalie Ringold, 29, from Minnesota, shared a simple lesson on kindness that resonated with countless people beyond her classroom
'Your words have power.
'If you say something that someone can't change in 30 seconds or less, you say those things.'
At this, she began squeezing a tube of toothpaste, spreading the paste on her podium.
'You try to fix it, you try to apologize, you try to take the words back… And you try to undo what you said, undo what you did, but it's something they couldn't change about themselves,' she went on.
'So it's very messy.'
As a visual aid illustrating this point, she began scooping up the toothpaste and attempting to put it back in the tube - to no avail, and instead getting it all over her hands as it smeared across podium.
'You can't totally take those words back. You can't totally fix it. Your words have power, and your words matter,' she continued.
'If you walk out of this room spreading kindness to the people around you, spreading love to the people around you, that is what truly makes a difference.'
In short, she explained to not share criticisms to people that they cannot change about themselves 'in 30 seconds or less'
In the caption, she emphasized that 'we are responsible for our words & actions' and stressed the 'power and an impact' that 'words & actions' have on others.
She also declared: 'Apologizing is an important part of making things right after we make a mistake.'
She added that she reiterated the lesson on the last day of the school year, 'because I want them to remember this concept for the rest of their lives!'
She also clarified: 'Of course there are small, random exceptions to this 30-second rule, but making this concept concrete for my students has been incredibly helpful!'
Hundreds of viewers took to the comments of the Instagram post to applaud Natalie's lesson on kindness.
'If they are old enough to be mean on purpose they are old enough to be kind on purpose,' one reasoned.
'Can we send this to all men on dating apps?' a second joked before adding, 'Thank you for being a great teacher.'
'BLESS YOU!!! As a person who was relentlessly racially harassed as a child, I wish this was taught,' a third chimed in.
'This should be required viewing for anyone who wants to join social media,' a fourth advocated.
And as a fifth put it: 'I think many adults need to hear this message!'
