SamTastic Weekly Tip: 9/1/26 - Acts of Kindness
- Jim Mercer
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
This week’s Tip: Acts of Kindness
An event last week took me back to July of 1980 and an act of kindness. Here’s the story: Carol and I were in Los Angeles on our way back home and looking forward to our fifth year as classroom teachers. The airline upgraded our tickets and provided use of their club room. We were sitting in cushy chairs around a coffee table when a fellow to my left said: “Can you believe it, that’s Dolly Parton,” I glanced to where he was staring and saw a woman with reading glasses, a scarf over her head and wearing an oversized sweatshirt. I turned back to the guy and said: “Is not.” Dolly Parton said, “Is too.”
I was even more surprised when she stood up, came over, and kissed me on the cheek. I stood up, apologized and introduced her to Carol. Dolly hugged Carol and told her she loved her perfume. I stepped aside as Dolly tried on Carol’s perfume and they chatted until her flight was called. Dolly gave Carol a signed picture and wished us well. Definitely an act of kindness.
The next time I saw Dolly Parton was in 2002. I was finishing my 10th and last year as a school district superintendent. Dolly was being honored by the national superintendents’ organization for her Imagination Library, an idea to give newborns and their parents one book every month until the child turned five. She started Imagination Library in 1995 in one county in Tennessee. By 2002 it had grown to 39 states.
I was impressed that she lived her values and created a sustainable system that benefits others. She didn’t think her philanthropy made her special. She thought it was just part of being human. “I think it’s important for everyone to do their share to help their fellow man,” she told The Associated Press in 2022, adding, “I get paid more attention than maybe some others that are doing more than me.”
Her acts of kindness were not random. They were intentional. It was who she was. Today, Imagination Library has expanded to all 50 states and five other countries, serving over 120 million children. It distributes roughly 3 million books every month, including specialized bilingual and braille options for visually impaired children. To date, Imagination Library, has gifted more than 300 million books worldwide since its inception.
Dolly Parton was intentional in her acts of kindness. She provides school leaders an even better gift than books: an example. Be a school leader who makes life better for others. Practice acts of kindness each day. Many SAMs ask what the leader saw during a classroom visit that impressed them. They then schedule a celebratory feedback session with the teacher. Sometimes, the SAM asks the leader to do the same with students, parents and support staff. Some leaders have taken the Imagination Library idea and created follow up programs by partnering with business or non-profit organization.
Just like Dolly Parton, your work as a school leader will outlive you.
Best for a SamTastic week,
Mark
Mark Shellinger, Director
National SAM Innovation Project
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