"As a citizen, grandparent, father, and professional, it is clear to me that the mission of schools must include teaching kindness. Without it, communities, families, schools, and classrooms become places of incivility where lasting learning is unlikely to take place.... We need to be prepared to teach kindness, because it can be delayed due to maltreatment early in life. It can be smothered under the weight of poverty, and it can be derailed by victimization later in life.... Kindness can be taught, and it is a defining aspect of civilized human life. It belongs in every home, school, neighborhood, and society. " (Maurice Elias, Rutgers University Psychology Professor)