the goodness factor

acts of goodness · sprouts · grades 3-5

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 sprouts, ages 8 to 11.

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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 sprouts, ages 8–11 · grades 3-5. entry by teacher, peer.

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
    • Helped two friends make up
    • Stayed calm when provoked
    • Stopped a quarrel before it grew

  • 03kind words

    +10
    • Encouraged someone who failed
    • Spoke up kindly when others mocked

  • 04including others

    +10
    • Picked the left-out child for the team
    • Made sure everyone got a turn

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
    • Brought extra for a friend who often has none
    • Made sure nobody ate alone

  • 06things

    +10
    • Gave a book to someone who needed it
    • Shared sports gear

  • 07time and knowledge

    +10
    • Helped a classmate with homework
    • Taught a game to a younger child

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
    • Noticed someone sad and asked
    • Made a card for a sick classmate

  • 09caring for the vulnerable

    +10
    • Carried a bag for an injured classmate all week
    • Helped an elderly person at the gate

  • 10welcoming

    +10
    • Was a buddy for a new student's first week

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
    • Disagreed respectfully
    • Thanked the custodians and cafeteria staff

  • 12patience and listening

    +10
    • Let someone go first
    • Heard a classmate's whole story

  • 13shared spaces

    +10
    • Did classroom cleaning duty well
    • Cared for school property

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
    • Admitted a mistake before being asked
    • Returned extra change
    • Refused to copy

  • 15fairness and promises

    +10
    • Played fair and admitted a foul
    • Divided group work fairly

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
    • Fed strays responsibly with an adult
    • Reported an injured animal

  • 17plants and trees

    +10
    • Adopted a tree
    • Tended the class garden

  • 18clean earth and water

    +10
    • Picked up trash that was not theirs
    • Used a reusable bottle all week

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
    • Did classroom jobs reliably
    • Regular chores (family act)

  • 20community service

    +10
    • Took part in a community drive
    • Helped a neighbor (family act)

  • 21initiatives and mentoring

    +10
    • Proposed and ran a small class idea with the teacher

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 sprouts, ages 8–11:

  • TTeacher-witnessed
  • PPeer nomination, confirmed by a teacher
  • 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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