The Kindness Garden

The Kindness Garden

Maya loved making pictures. She drew tall trees, tiny bugs, and flowers with enormous petals. On Monday, her teacher asked, “What could make our school a kinder place?” Maya wondered what she could do.

At recess, Maya noticed Leo sitting beside the empty garden bed. “Do you want to play?” she asked. “I want to be with my friends,” Leo said, “but sometimes I need a quieter place. There isn’t one outside.” Maya sat beside him. Then she had an idea.

“What if we made a quiet place right here?” Maya asked. She opened her sketchbook and drew flowers, a path, and a little bench. “We could read here,” Leo said. “And be together,” Maya added. Leo picked up a pencil and helped her draw. Walsh (2006) informs how the words and illustration contribute different details to the story.

Ana joined them. “My abuela grows flowers,” she said. “Abuela means grandmother. She could help us choose.” Maya wrote Our Kindness Garden above the drawing. Ana added Nuestro jardín de la bondad. “Let’s ask our class to help!” said Leo.

The next day, the children shared their idea. Maya showed the drawing. Leo explained why a quiet space mattered. Ana read their welcome sign. “What would help you feel welcome?” they asked. Their classmates suggested a smooth path, room to sit together, and a shady place to read. Their teacher smiled. “Let’s take our plan to the principal.” Oldakowski (2014) informs the use of multiple modes and opportunities to explain composing choices.

The principal asked them to explain their plan in a little book. Maya wrote, “We help.” “How will we help?” Leo asked. Together, they changed the sentence: “We will plant flowers and make a quiet place where friends can be together.” They added their drawing and read the book aloud. “Now our message is clear!” said Ana. Kim and Belcher (2020) informed the inclusion of explicit attention to written language within multimodal composing.

The principal approved their plan. Families and school helpers joined in. Together, they planted flowers and made a quiet sitting space. One afternoon, Maya found Leo reading there. Ana sat nearby, drawing a butterfly. “Now I can be with my friends and have a quiet place, too,” Leo said. Maya smiled. Their small idea had become a place for everyone.

Kim, Y., & Belcher, D. (2020). Multimodal composing and traditional essays: Linguistic performance and learner perceptions. RELC Journal, 51(1), 86–100. Oldakowski, T. (2014). A multimodal assignment that enriches literacy learning. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 9, 70–77. Walsh, M. (2006). The ‘textual shift’: Examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 29(1), 24–37.