A fellow teacher once snidely remarked, “Politeness doesn’t work for our students. You’ve got to be strict and even rude. Also, what do you get by being kind to your students? None of them are going to help you in any way.”  I said nothing even though I disagreed with her. My views will not change hers, just as her views will not change my principles. That teacher colleague’s views are not in the minority. In fact, many are of the view that your kindness is your weakness. Kindness is your foolishness. It’s your doom.  This is a flawed perception…