Changing The World Teaching Kindness And Service

These days, it can feel like kindness is becoming harder to find in the people we're often told to look up to. Name-calling, insults, and public attacks have become a daily part of our culture, coming not just from strangers online but from politicians, business leaders, and other public figures. At a time when examples of empathy, respect, and compassion can seem in short supply, teachers like Neil Lahammer remind us that there is another way to lead.

As a third-grade teacher in Minnesota, Lahammer has made kindness part of everyday learning. Through community service projects and simple acts of caring, he teaches students that making a difference starts with how we treat one another.

That work recently earned Lahammer a special honor when he was named the first-ever Kindness 101 National Teacher of the Year. The award recognizes a great educator and celebrates someone who is helping raise a generation of young people who understand that kindness, empathy, and service to others can change the world.