Crank it up! #kidzbop

Today I was talking with a teacher and the conversation went to Kidz Bop... and it was brought to my attention that not everyone likes Kidz Bop-- shocking! :) And so, I took the opportunity to encourage my staff to please ask me anything, and to feel free to share thoughts and feedback --about anything! I appreciate knowing what people are thinking! No offense Kidz Bop, but I DO wonder if the only people buying the music are all of us principals with disco ball speakers!

From the "ask Jennifer anything" files... here is how the conversation could go... And please read with all of the humor and sarcasm intended :)

Teacher: Hey, Jen! Kidz Bop sucks!
Me: Right???
Teacher: Why do you play it every frickin' morning outside?
Me: Cuz that's how we roll in TK-5 land-- the land of rated G :/

Seriously, I cracked up all the way home and am most worried that people think I actually like Kidz Bop. It's mostly TERRIBLE. Especially Maroon 5's latest "Cold"-- I love that song and the Kidz Bop version sucks. See exhibit A.

I giggled at the thought of my teachers picturing me in my car listening to it. Nope, mostly all I listen to has profanity and sexual innuendo sprinkled throughout. Remember, Adam and Maroon 5 are my jam. And when my kids were little and in my car, they listened to a lot of it, too. As their mom, I could choose that. But as an elementary principal, I listen to Kidz Bop for two reasons.

Reason #1: It's always appropriate. In a school where we have to be G and can't show a PG anything without parent permission, I know that sucky Kidz Bop is SUPER appropriate. Like Uptown Funk and put some water in it appropriate! With all of our customers under 11, I have to put out G music. Some of what I play isn't Kidz Bop, like Celebration, Can't Stop the Feeling, and the crowd favorite instrumental version of Ice Ice Baby. Awe-some! So audience matters and there is that.

Reason #2: I'm totally lazy. I can click "BUY" and get Kidz Bop super appropriate music without breaking a sweat. I have no time, passion, or talent for editing the f word or sh** out of songs. I will NEVER forget a first grader singing me Thrift Shop in class. Super nasty -- google that song and you will never EVER be able to unsee those words! I was going to write a song parody once to that song. Once I read the lyrics I just couldn't...

Having said all of that... I'm hoping someone on my staff is talented and passionate about editing music and wants to create amazing G versions of real songs! Any Maroon 5, yes, please!  I'd love to have some kid friendly tunes that don't suck on my 2010 iPod touch. Yes, my iPod touch.
Don't judge.

No such thing as an original idea --part two #kindkidsclub

This. One view. And Caroline Hines, our counselor came to me and asked, "Do you think we could do this school-wide?"

Yes.

And there was no looking back. She took this AMAZING idea and came up with a school wide kindness curriculum-- each grade being the Kind Kids Club and performing random acts of kindness one month at a time. Depending on the grade, community, home, and school acts of kindness were planned. And one class at a time, Caroline created a school (Star Academy- @staracdemyncs) where kindness rules! All this for free, or very close to it. Costs are small, and materials include t-shirts for capes, paint, crayons, markers, and read-alouds. And the impact was clear- she measured it with student, teacher, and family surveys via Google forms.

The outcome? ONE HUNDRED percent of students could define kindness and feel it in our school. One hundred percent.

Free. Or close to it.

This August, I moved to a new school, and the Kind Kids Club is coming with me! I will be starting next week with first grade and can't wait to share my cape and be Captain Kindness! One of my principal friends, Rachael Peck, (@rachaelpeck23) will be kicking off kindness at her school too!

Would you like to spread kindness in your school? Join us! We would love to take the Kind Kids Club coast to coast! Tweet me (@jkloczko) or Caroline Hines (@cjh_counselor) and we would love to share the Kind Kids Club plan with you! 

Be kind. Pass it on!