I have been chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans of 2014!

I'm #7 on Nebraska Loves Public Schools' list of 140 Educational Leaders to Follow!

NElovesPS:140 Nebraska Education Leaders to Follow

I served on a panel on TV for NET Nebraska - "Building Better Teachers"

Building Better Teachers on NET Nebraska

Teachers matter. We talk about what we are doing to make sure the very best teachers are reaching K-12 students who are living in the most difficult circumstances. The panel was facilitated by John Baylor, and the other panelists were Omaha Education Association President Chris Proulx and Crete Public Schools Superintendent Kyle McGowan.

Here is my TEDx Talk!

I have been asked to give a TEDx Talk!

Exciting news! I am shocked and in awe that I have been asked to give a TEDx Talk and that I get to share the stage with such phenomenal people as Wendy K Hamilton, Buey Ray Tut, and Bart Vargas, among others. The event's theme is In/Visible and I will be talking about The Secret Kindness Agents project and how it came to be. We will be at Creighton University's Harper Center on October 25th from noon to six. Tickets go on sale September 8th at www.tedxomaha.com and there are 500 seats, but they said they sell out fast! If you can't make it, but would like to watch, they will be streaming it live. I'm definitely excited, but also incredibly nervous. I hope I make my Agents proud.

Ferial Pearson: Reading and Book Signing August 31st 2014

Ferial Pearson: Reading and Book Signing August 31st 2014: Friends, you are all invited to come to a reading and book signing event for The Secret Kindness Agents at The Tea Smith on 78th and Cass St...

An Article in The Reader about The Secret Kindness Agents by Leo Biga!

http://www.thereader.com/comments/teachers_secret_kindness_agents_project_now_a_book Thank you to Leo Biga for writing a wonderful article about me and my Secret Kindness Agents in The Reader! See the link above, or click on the link under "In The News" to your right.

The Secret Kindness Agents and I were featured in the Omaha Family Magazine's 2014 Teacher's Guide!

The Secret Kindness Agents and I were featured in an extensive interview in the Omaha Family Magazine's 2014 Teacher's Guide. I was contacted by former students who are teachers who received free copies in their mailboxes at the beginning of this school year. What an honor. 

http://www.omahafamily.com/Archives/Flip%20Book/2014%20Teachers%20Guide.html

Carolyn Rabideaux and Carissa Seretta Start an SKA Project with their Homeroom at Bryan Middle School in Omaha!

Just a few weeks ago, I received a message from a former graduate student of mine who is now my friend, Carolyn Rabideaux, a fantastic teacher at Bryan Middle School in Omaha. Here's what her message said:

I met my CUBS (homeroom) co-teacher today. I filled her in on what we do in CUBS and then I said, "I'd also like to try something different this year. There's this book called Secret Kindness Agents..." she stopped me, "Oh, my G*d! Ferial! I love Ferial!!" She explained that you were her instructional coach and she gushed about how kind and wonderful you are. I said, "So, would you be willing to try that out with me? I'll put a copy of the book in your mailbox tomorrow." She said, "Yes, of course!" and now I am very excited to start our own Secret Kindness project!!

As if that wasn't wonderful enough, that co-teacher turned out to be my practicum student when The Secret Kindness Agents project was actually happening, Carissa Seretta! After the practicum, I began working at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I got to be Carissa's Instructional Coach for her final practicum before Clinical Practice. This is Carissa's first year teaching. 

I'm so glad these ladies have kept in touch with me!

They are planning to post updates on a Twitter page: @BMSecretKindnessAgents

An Extraordinary Moment in My Life and for the Secret Kindness Agents

Once in a while, I experience something extraordinary. Usually, it's even heartwarming, inspiring, and brings tears to my eyes. On the morning of August 7th, 2014, because of some phenomenal people in Ralston Public Schools, that happened. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a keynote speaker from some other state, they chose to focus on their own teachers, administrators, and students. Instead of opening the school year by focusing on test scores and data, they spoke of the importance of kindness and compassion, and of treating students as though they are their own children. Instead of extolling the virtues of strangers, they celebrated the kind deeds of their own teachers. The wonderful superintendent, Mark Adler, spoke movingly about how much the kindness of his staff in supporting his struggle with cancer has meant to him. The school board president Linda-Jason Richards made us cry with her story of the kindness of her elementary school principal when she was a little girl and how it affected her entire life. Jane Leadabrand listed all the things teachers do on a regular basis for their students behind the scenes. I was honored to be asked to speak by Dan Boster, who organized the event, along with two of The Secret Kindness Agents S.K.A. "Chi" Maribel Navarrete-Hernandez and S.K.A. "Scrappy Doo" Lance Otto and their talent advisor Amy Rector. School board member Dee Huff shone from the front row with kind smiles and nods of encouragement. The district bought 500 copies of our book and gave one to all of their teachers, the idea of Dr. Kristi Gibbs, the assistant superintendent. I'm so glad my children are being taught by these wonderful educators. I got hugs, kind words, and wonderful notes fromKristin Hassett Walsh, Jennifer Ludes, Maria Torres Weaver, Christine Morris Adair, Shelley 'Kropp' Sheets, Kelly Wood Honz, Ryan Pivonka,Michelle Kenyon Krum, Doug Pierson, Judy Startzer, Emily Hoesly,Patricia Barker, and many others. Jenn Stark took pictures for me, as did Erin Reel, our editor... such big hearts. Wow. Just. Wow.

New Praise for The Secret Kindness Agents from Erin Gruwell, Lester Laminack, Cheryl Lage, and Dr. Peter Smith!

“In an age where teens are passionately plugged into virtual reality, but tragically tuned out to the world revolving around them, the Secret Kindness Agents prove that it is possible to unplug, reconnect, and spread love and joy. Inspiring and heart-warming, The Secret Kindness Agents will leave any reader feeling hopeful.” Erin Gruwell, Founder of the Freedom Writers

“Kindness is a weed. It doesn't need rich soil and pampering. It doesn't need much attention at all. But, give it even a crevice in the hardest rock and it will find a way to thrive. In this small volume, Ferial Pearson leads a group of high school students on a journey of discovery about the power of kindness to take hold and multiply when given even the slightest chance.” Lester Laminack, S.K.A. “Sting,” award-winning educator and bestselling author of Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Guided Conversations

"This is a story about the real meaning of education. It’s not about becoming a better producer or consumer; it’s about becoming a better human being!" - Dr. Peter Smith S.K.A. "Hopeful" - Associate Professor, College of Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Want to cultivate kindness? Experience the description-defying pleasure of bringing joy to another human - voluntarily? Clandestinely? Daily? Rejoice! Thanks to Ferial Pearson, you now have a guidebook. Secret Kindness Agents: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Really Change the World is the must-have for would-be Secret Kindness Agents (SKAs) of all ages.”  - Cheryl Lage,  S.K.A. “Sprinkles,” author of Twinspiration  and Twinfatuation. com

An Interview with Write Life about The Secret Kindness Agents

WL: What inspired you to write this book?

FP: After posting numerous updates on Facebook about our Secret Kindness project and about how the project was changing me and my students, I started getting messages from various people asking how they could do a similar project with their families, book clubs, classrooms, youth groups, and so on. When Cindy Grady from WriteLife suggested writing a how-to book, it seemed like a natural next step. I thought that if our little project made such a big difference in our lives, how great would it be if it happened in other places too?
  
WL: Did the process of writing this book change your life? How so?

FP: The process of writing the book forced me to reflect deeply on what we had done, and to follow up with my students on how the project had affected them a year later. Their answers renewed my hope for a kinder community, my faith in the power of small acts of kindness becoming habits, and my love for humankind. Realizing how strongly the project affected my students and me through the writing the book of this book changed the way I look at small acts of kindness; I used to think of them as inconsequential, but I know now that they pack a huge punch. In essence, reading this book every time I read about, hear about, or experience injustice will give me fresh energy to go out and try again to be the best version of myself that I can be, and to know that it really doesn't have to take much effort at all. 

WL: Who are a few of your greatest influences and why? 

FP: My parents and grandparents were my biggest influences because they taught me about kindness and compassion, even in the face of hate. I watched them go through heartache and pain and still hold no grudges. They were always giving what they had to others, whether it was time, food, resources, or a place to stay, and they never questioned whether a person was "worthy" of their time and energy.

Mahatma Gandhi and Maya Angelou are my two other great influences. They both have been voices for the voiceless, and people who became leaders out of necessity instead of out of a hunger for power. They have understood the simple essence of humanity and have truly lived what they taught. They both expressed a love for humankind that never waned despite all of they injustice and hatred they faced from their fellow human beings. That kind of selflessness, optimism, and determination to make singular acts count in change-making has always inspired me to, like them, take the next step when I am tired. 

WL: How do the students featured in the book feel about the good they did in their school and community?

FP: My students became a community. More than that, they became a family. They felt more connected to each other and to their school, and they were truly proud of what they did, and continue to do to this day. I still get messages and emails from them telling me about particularly exciting acts of kindness that they have done, or that they have experienced. I've even been the recipient of some of their acts of kindness myself in the year since I left them. I will never forget their beaming faces, chests puffed out in pride, extravagant exclamation points and smiley faces as they told me or wrote to me about their good deeds. 

WL: What is your one wish for people who read this book?

FP: My wish is that the people who read this book see how easy this project is to do, and that they feel empowered to make small and powerful changes together in their own communities by becoming Secret Kindness Agents themselves!

---

Reading and Book Signing August 31st 2014

Friends, you are all invited to come to a reading and book signing event for The Secret Kindness Agents at The Tea Smith on 78th and Cass St. in Omaha this Sunday, August 31st from noon to two. Meet some of the Agents, learn the background of the project, and get your book signed by some really kind people. And if you've never tried Bubble Milk, that's the place to go! We'd love to see you there.

Ferial Pearson on The Joy Factor on KZUM Community Radio with Sheila Stratton

This evening, I had a delightful conversation with Sheila Stratton on her show The Joy Factor on KZUM Community Radio. We spoke about The Secret Kindness Agents project and book. If you want to hear the interview, it will be streaming as a podcast on their website kzum.org!

Enter our contest to win a FREE copy of The Secret Kindness Agents!

Want to win a free book?  Learn more about me and my motivations for the book, then pick your Secret Kindness Agent name and enter the contest in the comments section on this page: http://www.writelife.com/blog/2014/05/27/meet-award-winning-educator-ferial-pearson-become-secret-kindness-agent-and-enter-win/

Good News!

So much good has happened in the last couple of weeks!  First, The Original Secret Kindness Agents graduated from High School, some of them overcoming huge obstacles and big issues in their lives. Second, we got news that those who had pre-ordered their copies of The Secret Kindness Agents would have them in their hands in fourteen business days!  And third, we were featured in the June 5th Edition of the New York Review of Books! What?! Since our fabulous editor's name is Erin Reel, it must be said: IT'S GETTING REEL!!! 

Praise for The Secret Kindness Agents by Cheryl Lage, S.K.A. "Sprinkles", author of Twinspiration

I am so excited that an amazing lady did us the kindness of reading a proof of the book and writing a blurb for The Secret Kindness Agents. Thank you to the Queen of Nice, author and Twins expert, Cheryl Lage:
"Want to cultivate kindness? Experience the description-defying pleasure of bringing joy to another human - voluntarily? Clandestinely? Daily? 
Rejoice! Thanks to Ferial Pearson, you now have a guidebook. Secret Kindness Agents: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Really Change the World is a must-have for would-be Secret Kindness Agents (S.K.As) of all ages."
- Cheryl Lage (S.K.A. "Sprinkles"), author of Twinspiration (Taylor Trade Publishing) and Twinfatuation.com

A Simple Smile is an Act of Kindness!

The original Secret Kindness Agents created a list of random acts of kindness that they could pick from to do in their community without spending any money; instead, all they needed was their own humanity. 

So here's one to try out this week: Smile at everyone you see for a week, whether you know them or not! 

They also wrote a bunch of risks that they were undertaking in completing their assignments. So here are the risks for this one:
1. Your face might hurt from smiling too much
2. You might become happier
3. People might think you're a nice person. 

And......GO!!!!

(Bonus: let us know how it felt!)

Pay It Forward Day!

April 24th is National Pay It Forward Day! In honor of that, I am so happy to share this press release about my new book:

WriteLife LLC, an independent publishing company headquartered in Omaha, NE, announces the pre-sale of Secret Kindness Agents: How Small Acts of Kindness Really Can Change the World. In the spirit of “Pay It Forward Day”, author Ferial Pearson will donate all net proceeds from the sale of the book to JDRF.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until we achieve a world without T1D. Ferial Pearson and her class chose to donate all net proceeds from the sale of Secret Kindness Agents to JDRF due to a Secret Kindness Agent’s diagnosis of juvenile type 1 diabetes while the class was in the middle of their Secret Kindness Project.

Moved by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, Ferial wondered if a simple act of kindness could change a life. She thought of the school where she taught and the students she guided every day and wondered, what would happen if we started secretly carrying out small acts of kindness in school? Could a modest act of compassion really change the course of a life? She posed the question to her students. They didn’t have the answers but they were willing to find out. And so they became the Secret Kindness Agents. They not only changed the lives of those they met, they changed their own. Their hope, their hearts, and their hunger for happiness will inspire you to change your small corner of the world, in your own way, for the better. Let them show you how they did it, and how you can do the same.

Ferial Pearson, a native of Nairobi, Kenya, is a national award-winning high school teacher and college instructor. For her dedicated work in education and human rights, she has earned the National Education Association’s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights in 2012, and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network’s Educator of the Year Respect Award in 2011. She is an Instructor and Instructional Coach in the Teacher Education Department at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Secret Kindness Agents: How Small Acts of Kindness Really Can Change the World is available for pre-sale on http://www.writelife.com. Upon the book’s release on May 27th, the book will be available on writelife.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major book retailers. The book will also be available in Kindle, Nook and Kobo formats.

About WriteLife, LLC

WriteLife, LLC is an independent publisher of trade fiction and nonfiction based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Learn more at http://www.writelife.com/.

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