Acts of kindness for students, by age

The Goodness Matrix

What counts as an act of goodness, for which age, worth how many points, verified how, and what costs points and how they are earned back. Version 0.1.0, draft. Values marked proposed are for Mohanji's decision.

Age bands

Saplings: Grades 6-8. Entry by teacher, peer, self.

Point tiers

Tier	Points	Definition
Harmony proposed	+5 / weekly	A week in which the child harmed no one in word or deed.
Everyday act	+10	A single witnessed act in any category.
Sustained effort proposed	+25	The same act kept up for a week or more.
Initiative proposed	+50	Something the child led that benefits others beyond themselves.
Deduction proposed	-10	An act that harmed someone. Proportionate, entered by the teacher with the counselor.
Deduction, serious proposed	-25	Violence, bullying or deceit.
Restoration	restores	Completing the Four-Way flow and the restorative acts returns the deducted points.

Domains and categories, examples for Saplings

1. Peace (Ahimsa)

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

1. Harmony 5 / week baseline: Same
2. Peacemaker: Mediated a conflict using the steps learned
Refused to pass on a rumor and stopped it
3. Kind words: Defused unkindness in person or online
Apologized publicly for a harsh word
4. Including others: Befriended a newcomer for the semester
Included a classmate with a disability in an activity

Sustained efforts: Two weeks as class peace helper; A month of sitting with a child who is often alone

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

2. Sharing and Generosity

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

5. Food and water: Ran a food-sharing shelf in class
6. Things: Ran a book or uniform exchange
7. Time and knowledge: Tutored a younger student each week

Sustained efforts: Two weeks of helping the same classmate with reading; A month of bringing water for the class plants and the birds

Initiatives: A sharing shelf; A book bank; A tutoring program

3. Kindness and Compassion

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

8. Comforting: Supported a grieving friend over weeks
9. Caring for the vulnerable: Visited elders or a children's home
10. Welcoming: Helped a transfer student with language and friends

Sustained efforts: A week as a new student's buddy; A month of visiting an elder

Initiatives: A buddy system for newcomers; A regular elder-visit program

4. Respect and Etiquette

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

11. Courtesy: Wrote appreciation notes to school staff
12. Patience and listening: Chaired a group discussion fairly
13. Shared spaces: Led the cleaning rotation

Sustained efforts: A week of classroom cleaning duty done without reminders; Two weeks of greeting every adult properly

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

5. Honesty and Integrity

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

14. Truth and owning mistakes: Spoke honestly in a hard situation
Corrected a false story
15. Fairness and promises: Refereed fairly
Stood up for a fair outcome

Sustained efforts: Two weeks of honest self-reporting on homework; A term of fair refereeing

Initiatives: A lost-and-found system; An honor code the students write

6. Care for Nature and Animals

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

16. Animals and birds: Ran a summer water-bowl project for birds
17. Plants and trees: Led a school planting drive
18. Clean earth and water: Cleaned a local spot
Ran waste segregation in class

Sustained efforts: Watering plants daily for two weeks; A week of reusable bottles for the whole class

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

7. Service and Responsibility

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

19. Duties and home: Volunteered at a school event
20. Community service: Did regular community service
21. Initiatives and mentoring: Led a small project: an awareness campaign, a garden, a buddy program

Sustained efforts: A month of reliable class duty; A term of weekly mentoring

Initiatives: Anything in category 21 at Saplings and above; the book's Meena is the model

Deductions

Proportionate, entered with the counselor, always paired with the Four-Way flow and a path to restoration.

Hurting another minor
Hurtful words, Teasing, Taking or breaking another's things, Excluding someone on purpose
Violence, bullying, deceit major
Hitting, Repeated bullying, Lying that harms someone, Cheating
Harm to animals or nature minor
Hurting an animal, Deliberately damaging plants, Deliberate littering or waste
Neglect of responsibility minor
Repeatedly abandoning an agreed duty that others depended on

Restoration

Restoration returns the deducted points and does not exceed them. Both stay in the ledger; visibility is private by default.

Samam: peaceful persuasion
Danam: encouragement and reward
Bhedam: constructive correction
Dandam: compassionate consequence

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

Verification and badges

T Teacher-witnessed
P Peer nomination, confirmed by a teacher
S Self-logged with reflection, verified by a teacher or mentor
F Family act, verified by a parent; larger acts by the community. Recorded at family level.

Leaf: 3 witnessed acts in the category
Flower: 10 acts in the category including at least one sustained effort
Fruit: One initiative in the category

Suggest an act of goodness for your school or community: support@goodnessfactor.app