It is often said hatred is learned, particularly in reference to children and how they must be taught hate to display it in their own lives. I believe the same is true for kindness and respect.

Students at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, Calif., are doing just that - speaking words of kindness, love, encouragement and positivity. The project is called the Peptoc Hotline and launched Feb. 26.

When you dial 707-998-8410, you will hear the sweetest voices lifting you up. You can press 1 if you are feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, 2 for words of encouragement and life advice, 3 if you need a pep talk and 4 to hear kids laughing with delight.

“If you’re nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes.”

“Be grateful for yourself.”

“I trust that you can make things right.”

“Be responsible.”

“We love you.”

“You can do it.”

These are just a few examples of the “peptocs” you will hear.

A Spanish version is available, too.

When I called this number for the first time a few weeks ago, the students’ voices and thoughtfulness put a smile on my face the entire phone call. It really does pep you up.

The project was started by Jessica Martin, who is an artist in the local community and an art teacher at West Side Elementary. In an interview with CNN, she said she didn’t expect the project to be so widespread.

“In less than a week, the project has gone viral, receiving between 300 and 500 calls an hour and up to as many as 5,000 calls a day,” the article “Goodwill project at California school goes viral” states.

According to the CNN story, the principal of the school, Rima Meechan, said she hopes to keep the hotline open through the rest of the school year. There is an option when on the call to donate to the project, which will help fund the hotline to run longer. You can also visit westsideusd.org to help the school achieve this goal.

What if we take this project and incorporate it into our lives and the lives of others? Can we take this opportunity to make examples of ourselves to our children, family members and neighbors? What if we displayed kindness in front of our kids? What if we thought carefully about what we say on social media? What if we showed respect and talked nicely to our commissioners, supervisors and school board members?

Our children are learning from us. They hear the words we say and watch the actions we take.

Just recently, I had an experience with my son that again confirmed when I stay calm, become vulnerable and express and show my feelings, his own attitude, outlook and behavior reflect mine. My honesty made an impression on him, and he understood how I felt and why what he did was not thoughtful.

I could have yelled at him and stormed out of the room. I chose not to, and the result of the issue ended with a hug, kiss, kindness, understanding and an apology.

Parenting is not easy. We all make mistakes. We all say and do things we regret. I try to learn from my faults, so I have less of those regrets.

I can always use a kind word from young ones in my life, and I am thankful to have a reminder from elementary students that their joyous hotline project has created a viral sensation among all ages.

The next time I feel nervous, I will go ice cream and shoe shopping.

Stacey Koch

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press