the goodness factor

acts of goodness · saplings · grades 6-8

every kind of good, at every age.

What counts as an act of goodness, what it’s worth, how it’s checked, and how a child can always find the way back. Showing the examples for saplings, ages 12 to 14.

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domains
7
domains
categories
21
categories
age groups
4
age groups
a seed of goodness!

choose an age group

goodness grows with the child

The same seven domains at every age. The examples grow up as the child does.

showing saplings, ages 12–14 · grades 6-8. entry by teacher, peer, self.

domain 01

#peace

peace (ahimsa)

harming no one, in word or deed.

Mohanji: everybody gets five points for non-violence; picking up a fight is very easy, preventing is very difficult. Book Ch 4.

  • 01harmony

    +5 a week
    • A week without hitting, hurting or unkind words

  • 02peacemaker

    +10
    • Mediated a conflict using the steps learned
    • Refused to pass on a rumor and stopped it

  • 03kind words

    +10
    • Defused unkindness in person or online
    • Apologized publicly for a harsh word

  • 04including others

    +10
    • Befriended a newcomer for the semester
    • Included a classmate with a disability in an activity

sustained effortsTwo weeks as class peace helper; A month of sitting with a child who is often alone

initiativesA peer-mediation program; An anti-bullying circle; A kindness campaign with measurable reach

domain 02

#sharing

sharing and generosity

giving what you have, freely.

Mohanji: somebody doesn't have food, you share the food; somebody doesn't have paper, the pencil, share the pencil.

  • 05food and water

    +10
    • Ran a food-sharing shelf in class

  • 06things

    +10
    • Ran a book or uniform exchange

  • 07time and knowledge

    +10
    • Tutored a younger student each week

sustained effortsTwo weeks of helping the same classmate with reading; A month of bringing water for the class plants and the birds

initiativesA sharing shelf; A book bank; A tutoring program

domain 03

#compassion

kindness and compassion

noticing someone who needs you.

Book Ch 2: acts of compassion, generosity, and cooperation. Mohanji: being connected, being loving.

  • 08comforting

    +10
    • Supported a grieving friend over weeks

  • 09caring for the vulnerable

    +10
    • Visited elders or a children's home

  • 10welcoming

    +10
    • Helped a transfer student with language and friends

sustained effortsA week as a new student's buddy; A month of visiting an elder

initiativesA buddy system for newcomers; A regular elder-visit program

domain 04

#respect

respect and etiquette

treating people and places well.

Mohanji: like in Japan, they always do with both hands, they respect you. The core of the first two years.

  • 11courtesy

    +10
    • Wrote appreciation notes to school staff

  • 12patience and listening

    +10
    • Chaired a group discussion fairly

  • 13shared spaces

    +10
    • Led the cleaning rotation

sustained effortsA week of classroom cleaning duty done without reminders; Two weeks of greeting every adult properly

initiativesA clean-classroom system the class runs itself; A staff appreciation week

domain 05

#honesty

honesty and integrity

telling the truth, even when it’s hard.

Book Ch 2: honest communication. Ch 7: owning a mistake is the start of restoration.

  • 14truth and owning mistakes

    +10
    • Spoke honestly in a hard situation
    • Corrected a false story

  • 15fairness and promises

    +10
    • Refereed fairly
    • Stood up for a fair outcome

sustained effortsTwo weeks of honest self-reporting on homework; A term of fair refereeing

initiativesA lost-and-found system; An honor code the students write

domain 06

#nature

care for nature and animals

looking after every living thing.

Mohanji: taking care of animals, birds, environment, plantation; something which nurtures nature. Book Ch 10.

  • 16animals and birds

    +10
    • Ran a summer water-bowl project for birds

  • 17plants and trees

    +10
    • Led a school planting drive

  • 18clean earth and water

    +10
    • Cleaned a local spot
    • Ran waste segregation in class

sustained effortsWatering plants daily for two weeks; A week of reusable bottles for the whole class

initiativesA school garden; A bird-water project across the school; A neighborhood cleanup with a before-and-after record

domain 07

#service

service and responsibility

doing your part, and a little more.

Mohanji: supporting the fellow students. Book Ch 2: volunteerism, mentoring, and social service; Ch 6: children suggest and implement local initiatives.

  • 19duties and home

    +10
    • Volunteered at a school event

  • 20community service

    +10
    • Did regular community service

  • 21initiatives and mentoring

    +10
    • Led a small project: an awareness campaign, a garden, a buddy program

sustained effortsA month of reliable class duty; A term of weekly mentoring

initiativesAnything in category 21 at Saplings and above; the book's Meena is the model

examples are a guide, not a checklist. any real act of goodness counts.

goodness points

what an act is worth

The 5 and the 10 are Mohanji’s, the same in every school.

  • +5

    harmony · weekly

    A week in which the child harmed no one in word or deed.

  • +10

    everyday act

    A single witnessed act in any category.

  • -10

    deduction

    An act that harmed someone. Proportionate; recorded only by the head of the school after a complaint has been given and checked. The counselor opens the way back.

  • -25

    deduction, serious

    Violence, bullying or deceit. Recorded the same way, by the head of the school after a checked complaint.

  • ↺

    restoration

    Completing the Four-Way flow and the restorative acts returns the deducted points.

who verifies an act

For saplings, ages 12–14:

  • TTeacher-witnessed
  • PPeer nomination, confirmed by a teacher
  • SSelf-logged with reflection, verified by a teacher or mentor
  • FFamily act, verified by a parent; larger acts by the community. Recorded at family level.

badges per category

They mark what a child does, never their rank.

  • lleaf3 witnessed acts in the category
  • fflower10 witnessed acts in the category
  • ffruit25 witnessed acts in the category

when something goes wrong

harm costs points. the way back is always open.

A deduction is recorded only by the head of the school, after a complaint is checked. The counselor opens the way back.

  • hurting anotherminor · -10

    Hurtful words, Teasing, Taking or breaking another's things, Excluding someone on purpose.

  • violence, bullying, deceitmajor · -25

    Hitting, Repeated bullying, Lying that harms someone, Cheating.

  • harm to animals or natureminor · -10

    Hurting an animal, Deliberately damaging plants, Deliberate littering or waste.

  • neglect of responsibilityminor · -10

    Repeatedly abandoning an agreed duty that others depended on.

the way back

Restoration returns the deducted points and does not exceed them. Both stay in the ledger; visibility is private by default. The Four-Way flow:

  1. samam · peaceful persuasion
  2. danam · encouragement and reward
  3. bhedam · constructive correction
  4. dandam · compassionate consequence

restorative acts

  • Counseling conversation and a drawn or written 'what I will do next time'
  • Apology plus repair: fix, replace or clean what was damaged
  • A week of helping the person who was harmed
  • Teaching younger children what was learned
  • Service to the class or school connected to the harm
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