Marsha Goren

Ein Ganim School

Petach Tivka, Israel

At the beginning of the project Matt and I were excited about the Kindness School and by the idea of being kind which we acquired from our teammate Rick. This school of kindness has had a great impact on me as an educator and my kids in Israel as a team.

The contributions made by the team of Matt Kuntz, Rick Glass and myself have been above and beyond the call of duty. We in Israel were excited and impressed with the peanut butter jelly drive and the pasta-pasta evening of giving and sharing with those who are less fortunate. These acts of kindness influenced my 6th graders to start a tech club where they would teach the 4th graders tech skills and many software programs. This has given everyone involved a great deal of satisfaction. The kids feel proud of sharing their knowledge and their younger mates feel they can take over when the 6th graders graduate and go on to junior high.

I have known Matt and Rick for a few years now and we have collaborated in many projects bringing together two classes from the USA with a class that is six million miles away in Israel and could not feel closer to them in spirit. The power of the Internet has my kids so enthusiastic and motivated. This GVC program is the reason for the highly sophistic computer skills they have acquired, the creativity that has given them higher thinking skills but above all the kids from the USA together with their teams have managed to bring out so much kindness in all of them.

Rick had to undergo surgery during the building of our site and the kids naturally took over with Matt’s kids to create, design and help in building our school of kindness. Not a day would go by when a student would inquire about Rick’s health and together with Matt’s kids created cards of kindness (cards 2) and touched everyone’s hearts especially Mr. Glass who was even overwhelmed by the act of love by every kid in the project. This is the true meaning of our team, coming together and sharing in a special way.

I am honored to have friends like Matt and Rick in my life. I was excited and thrilled to see them together in Oak Park and in Warsaw. Then when they called me and the three of us could speak together it was truly amazing how we could plan our work together and share happy moments.

There is no doubt in my mind that our team has created a true school of kindness, one which sends a true message of friendship and global collaboration.

One that teaches each other to share and not be selfish and shows that giving is a true act of kindness, whether it is a donation or just sharing knowledge and friendships.

I wish to thank Matthew Kuntz and Rick Glass for being phenomenal educators and wonderful people.

I am sure we will remain friends for life and the kids will never forget this incredible learning experience.

Thank you for creating this great program.

Marsha Goren

Ein Ganim Israel

In teaching, I am a strong advocate for collaborative, project-based learning.  For several years, I have worked with numerous other schools to create learning experiences for my students. Each experience provided rich learning and new cultural understanding.  But none have been as rewarding or effective as GVC.

From the outset of the project, we were blessed with the knowledgeable and caring friendships of our partners, Marsha Goren of Ein Ganim School in Israel, and Matt Kuntz of Lincoln Elementary in Oak Park, Illinois.  Each has prior experience with GVC and possessed technological skills that we had just begun to tap.

The communication between the leadership was incredible and that example quickly transferred to the students.  They loved communicating with each other and we provided a variety of ways to encourage them.  We used blogs, wikis, and face-to-face chats to inspire them and to share ideas.

Collaborative projects within the GVC project took the experience to an even higher level.  Lincoln students joined my students in food collection for a Harrison charity.  They encouraged each other though emails and written missives.  They worked together to create podcasts and responded to each other’s blog posts.

All of that combined to create deep learning experiences that went far beyond the classroom, but for me personally, the project was far more meaningful.  Midway through the project, I had to have a surgery on my shoulder.  In the recovery room at the hospital, I suffered a heart attack.  After my release and a few days of convalescence, I had a relapse and spent another week in the hospital.

In all, I missed nearly a month of school.  Returning to teaching was difficult.  I relied heavily on an assistant to get through each day.  I continued to miss work because of pain from the surgery and lack of strength.  My students are my strength and not being with them was deeply discouraging.

As the deepest point of my discouragement, a half dozen packages arrived from students at Lincoln and Ein Ganim.  Those packages were filled beautiful pictures and words of encouragement from our GVC partners.  I wept as I read them.  Sitting in my chair, covered with a sea of cards and letters, I realized that each of these students had learned and were living our “School of Kindness.” 

Kindness has become embedded in these students.  They are actively seeking ways to show kindness to each other, their families, their neighbors, their communities, and their world.  I am glad these students will be our future.  As they continue to spread their messages of kindness and good will, I believe our world will be in good hands.

Rick Glass

4th Grade Teacher

Harrison Elementary School

Warsaw, Indiana, USA