FOR CHARACTER - Electronic Newsletter
creating schools and community for character!
January/February 2002
WHY A NEWSLETTER?
In the past 2 ½ years, I've had the opportunity of working with many different school districts and communities in promoting character education. Whether this has been a teacher inservice, workshop or keynote address, the message is similar: implementing a character education initiative truly makes a difference in the life of a school and community.
I regularly receive e-mail, letters and phone calls from participants who willingly share their ideas or ask questions about the next steps to take in a school, district or community. I thought that an easy to read newsletter, in electronic format or printed, may be a useful tool in communicating with those who are committed to making sure character counts!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like additional information about anything included in this newsletter.
Dr. Gary M. Smit, Superintendent
Lombard School District 44
150 W. Madison
Lombard, Il 60148
Phone: 630.827.4400
Fax: 630.620.3798
E-Mail: gsmit@district44.dupage.k12.il.us
EMPLOYEE LEADERSHIP TRAINING
In Lombard, we continue to find ways to integrate CHARACTER COUNTS! into the life of our community. We believe it takes six pillars to support our community. However, finding ways to increase the involvement of business leaders has been a challenge for us. This past fall, our local coalition, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, sponsored an "Employee Leadership Training" for high school students who work or would like to be employed in local businesses. The evening training includes a keynote presentation and five different break-out sessions. The high school students are able to choose 3 of the 30 minute sessions to attend. For our first training, we included break-out sessions on the following topics: Qualities of the Best Employees; Effectively Dealing with Customers; Making a Positive Impression at an Interview; Ethical Decisions in the Workplace; Understanding Security Needs of a Company.
Presenters included not only school staff but also representatives from the Chamber, local business owners and a security consultant. For students who attended the evening workshop, certificates of completion were presented and a data base created to assist employers when they are searching for high school to hire.
55 high school students attended our first training. We have plans to schedule an additional training session this spring. For community coalitions looking for ways to involve business, this is an idea that we believe is of benefit to the employer and our high school students.
Here are a few quick ways to integrate character education using the 3 P's - Principles, Processes and Practices.
Principles
· Common Language of the Six Pillars of Character
· Clarify Principles
· Articulate
· Explain
· Paraphrase
· Synthesize
· Organize
· Conceptualize
Processes
· TEAM (Teach, Enforce, Advocate and Model)
· Teach Reasoning Skills
· Evaluating Facts
· Predicting Likely Consequences
· Creative, Realistic Problem-Solving
Practices
· Immersion
· Telling, Exhorting
· Discourse and Discussion
· Structured Experiences
Role-Playing
Games
Problem-Solving
Guided Reflection
· Journals
· Essays and Stories
· Sharing Experiences
The Michigan High School Athletic Association provides all its officials with wallet-sized cards from which they read a sportsmanship statement during pre-game meetings with coaches and captains. The card says:
"The Michigan High School Athletic Association requires and expects officials to enforce all rules regarding unsportsmanlike conduct by coaches and student-athletes. There will be no tolerance for negative statements or actions between opposing players or among team members and coaches -- especially trash talking, taunting or baiting of opponents or casual use of vulgarities. If such comments are heard, a penalty will be assessed immediately!"
DANA HILLS (CA) FOOTBALL EMBRACES CC!
Dana Hills football is going into its second year incorporating character education principles into its program. Coach Scott Orloff has designated six "character captains." During the spring each captain presented a pillar to the team during team-only meetings, and discussions followed. Each captain is also conducting a community service project; for example, one has offered to bring the "Character in Sports" message to elementary schools through speaking engagements. The team also has an "academic czar," a designated teacher on campus who mentors and tutors the students while serving as an academic liaison for coaches and parents. The players have received numerous compliments for their respectful conduct.
"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way."
Jim Courier, winner of 20 career tennis titles, including four grand slams
May you continue to find ways to make character count!
Gary Smit