FOR CHARACTER
creating schools and communities for character!
July/August, 2003
An electronic newsletter to help you make sure CHARACTER COUNTS!sm
CHARACTER COUNTS! and the Six Pillars of Character are service marks of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, a project of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. For more information about training opportunities and resources available to assist schools and communities in the integration of a character education initiative, check out their web site at: www.charactercounts.org or call them at 1-800-711-2670.
ü SAFE AND SOUND - THE MOST EFFECTIVE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS
ü CHARACTER EDUCATION IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
ü COMMENTARY BY MICHAEL JOSEPHSON
TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER – Gary Smit
I love sports. This is true both as a participant and a spectator. I readily admit that often I do not witness character in what happens on the court or field. Unfortunately, the adage of win at all costs seems to be pervasive from the sand lots to the big leagues. Moreover, the media today is quick to publicize the individuals who fail a test of character by words or actions. We get so inundated with stories of misconduct in big time sports that it's important to remember how many really good people there are.
Let me share an incident that happened in this year’s
NBA playoffs that contradicts the negative image of so many of today’s
professional athletes. This spring, before the third playoff game between the
Portland Trailblazers and the Dallas Mavericks it seemed that the national
anthem singer needed a little help.
Natalie Gilbert is a 13-year-old eighth grader from Lake Oswego, Oregon who won
the chance to sing the anthem. Natalie performed in front of judges and the
Portland arena crowd on three occasions, making it to the finals for the
contest. Having won the contest, Natalie took center court to sing in front of
a crowd of over 20,000 fans. Even though she had the flu and had spent the whole
day in bed, she was determined to give it her best.
Natalie, who performed the song perfectly in the locker room before the game, as
well as the other times she's sung for the team, suddenly forgot the words to
the anthem. Now, when the spotlight was on her, standing between two
lines of giant men waiting to play one of the biggest games of their lives, she
froze. Very early into anthem, she sang the wrong words then unexpectedly forgot
the rest. Natalie put the mike to her mouth one more time but nothing came out.
As the audience writhed in sympathy along with a number of catcalls and
embarrassing cheers, Natalie lowered the mike and looked down on the arena
floor.
But in a moment a strong arm was on her shoulder and a big man in a suit slid
beside her, whispered the words in her ear and began to sing with her. And with
his help she finished the song. The man who helped
her sing was Portland Coach Maurice (Mo) Cheeks. The coach’s immediate and
compassionate intervention turned what could have been a terribly humiliating
event into an uplifting one. And when the entire arena joined in – it was truly
a moving experience for everyone and will most likely be one of the most
memorable moments of the entire 2003 playoffs.
"He totally saved me, I couldn't even remember the words. I tried to start over
again, but the words wouldn't come," said Natalie. "I was walking off afterward
and he said to me 'Don't worry kid, everyone has a bad game once in awhile.'
It's been said that character is revealed best by how we act when no one is looking. Well, sometimes it can be revealed when everyone's looking. Mo Cheeks revealed an important quality of character on the court and I believe we can all be uplifted by the simple unassuming act of genuine and spontaneous kindness.
I often use this story and the video clip from that memorable evening in my speeches over the past 2 months. It is the most requested power point slide that people come up asking for after the speech is over. You can now find the slides and the anthem on a web page that also includes the “A Quiz on What Really Counts”: http://www.forcharacter.com/Quiz.htm
Yes, character does count!
Gary Smit
From the For Character web site:
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How to Teach the Six Pillars of Character
Integrating Character Education Into Your School
A Quiz on What Really Counts NEW If you have a high speed connection and Windows Media Player, you can watch and even download the Maurice Cheeks video clip.
When Internet users log onto www.schoolscandals.com and click on the Beverly Hills High School link, they will find a message calling one student a “retard” who “deserves to go to hell.” A posting in the Frost Middle School chat room describes a student as a “homosexual with a pigeon-like face and a penguin-like body.” Such name-calling and gossip about students are common on the three-year-old Web site, similar to the crude messages scribbled inside of school bathroom stalls for decades but on a much larger scale. The Web site has an audience of tens of thousands, and it features links for chat rooms about nearly 100 Southern California middle and high schools, particularly in the San Fernando Valley. As a result, parents and school administrators are calling for the site’s closure, contending much of its content is libelous and harmful. Parents in the Las Virgenes Unified School District began complaining about the site three months ago and recently met with administrators about its painful effect on youngsters. Principals ordered a block against the Web site on all campus computers.
Erika Hayasaki and Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times “Parents Rally to Stop ‘Cyber Bullying’” http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-website17apr17004421,0,5145247.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
EVALUATING YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue21/theory.html
Researchers and practitioners argue that high quality, structured out-of-school programs create environments that have the potential to support and promote youth development because they: (a) situate youth in safe environments; (b) prevent youth from engaging in delinquent activities; (c) teach youth general and specific skills, beliefs, and behaviors; and (d) provide opportunities for youth to develop relationships with peers and mentors. In fact, there is increasing evidence that youth participation in quality activities influences their academic and social outcomes, which, in turn, impact economic and occupational outcomes into adulthood. However, documenting the associations between youth outcomes and activity participation is challenging. This article examines some of the key indicators of program quality and suggests strategies for creating quality out-of-school activities.
ANGRY AT THE WORLD http://www.asbj.com/current/research.html
Aggression, the experts say, is a learned behavior. If that's the case, writes Susan Black, school-age kids are learning a lot about hitting, kicking, and other aggressive behaviors. In fact, many students are learning to push their aggression to the limits, displaying traits that are increasingly dangerous -- and that have dire consequences for the safety of students and teachers alike.
CREATING A SCHOOL COMMUNITY http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200303/schaps.html
A growing body of research confirms the benefits of building a sense of community in school. Students in schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated; to act ethically and; to develop social and emotional competencies; and to avoid a number of problem behaviors, including drug use and violence. These benefits are often lasting. Researchers have found that the positive effects of certain community-building programs for elementary schools persist through middle and high school. Unfortunately, schools with a strong sense of community are fairly rare. In fact, most schools that survey students' perceptions of community wind up with mediocre mean scores. Of further concern is the fact that low-income students and students of color usually report a lower level of community in school than do affluent or white students. Many schools appear to be ill-equipped to provide community for the students who may need it most. In this article, Eric Schaps outlines a series of community-building approaches.
SAFE AND SOUND, A NEW GUIDE FROM CASEL, IDENTIFIES THE MOST EFFECTIVE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS
Educators increasingly recognize that the social and emotional issues plaguing children today have a negative impact on their ability to learn. Violence, bullying, substance abuse, and emotional alienation have significant effects on children's success in school and contribute to dropout rates. In an effort to help their students, school administrators and teachers often opt for programs that are short-term, and address only one type of problem. However, research shows that the strongest programs are evidence-based and coordinated efforts that incorporate and combine social, emotional and academic learning (SEAL) into a school's ongoing curriculum.
The most effective and comprehensive ongoing school-based social and emotional learning programs now have been identified for the first time in Safe and Sound: An Educational Leader's Guide to Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs, a new guide from the Chicago-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program (OSDFS), Safe and Sound provides educators with objective, scientifically-based information about nationally available programs for the classroom and guides them through the selection and implementation process.
"Educators and parents want children to attend safe, supportive schools that use sound methods to enhance students' academic success, social skills, and responsible decision-making abilities," said Roger P. Weissberg, Executive Director of CASEL. "The purpose of Safe and Sound is to objectively identify research-based programs that improve the likelihood that schools will succeed in educating knowledgeable, responsible, caring, and healthy students who are fully engaged in their schools and communities."
Based on a three-year, scientifically-based review of 250 social and emotional learning programs currently on the educational market, Safe and Sound uses a Consumer Reports-style system to rate the best programs. Of the 80 programs reviewed in detail, 22 have been chosen by CASEL as "Select" programs because of their overall high quality --i.e., the scientific evidence of their effectiveness, the quality of their staff training, and their coverage of key social and emotional competencies.
The guide further provides the background, theory, and scientific basis for effective SEL programs - including the fundamental connection between SEL and academic learning. Detailed descriptions of each program, along with contact and website information, key questions to ask program developers, and steps for planning and implementing SEL programs assist educators in choosing the program that is right for their school or district.
"Social and emotional learning programs are about more than preventing the worst -- they are about bringing out the best in our children," said Mary Utne O'Brien, Associate Director of CASEL. "And because a number of these programs have been shown to directly link to academic improvement and contribute to school safety, using them assists schools in responding to the new No Child Left Behind mandates."
Ratings and descriptions in Safe and Sound are divided into the following areas:
· Social and emotional learning competencies: The quality of a program's handling of five groups of fundamental SEL competencies: self-awareness (e.g., identifying one's own emotions), social awareness (e.g., identifying and understanding the feelings of others), self-management (e.g., goal setting), relationship skills, and responsible decision-making skills.
· Evidence of effectiveness: The strength of the scientific evidence of the program's positive impacts on student behavior.
· Capacity for training and technical assistance: The initial training a program offers and the nature and quality of the technical assistance it provides once a program is adopted.
· Applications to behavioral and health topics: The extent to which a program explicitly addresses substance abuse prevention, violence prevention, healthy sexual development, health promotion, and promotion of citizenship.
· Focus on academic achievement: The manner and extent to which a program explicitly works to improve students' academic performance.
· School-family-community partnerships: Attention to extending and reinforcing SEL instruction throughout the school, promoting communication between schools and families, and promoting student involvement in community initiatives and the community's involvement in and support of the school.
· Program assessment and evaluation: The consistency and clarity of lesson plans, whether the program provides student assessment measures, and program supports for monitoring implementation.
CASEL's Safe and Sound: An Educational Leader's Guide to Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs, along with the CD-ROM, is available for $10.00, plus postage and handling, from the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) at www.temple.edu/LSS. An order form with instructions can be found on CASEL's web site: www.CASEL.org. Discounts are available for bulk orders. Downloadable copies also are available from the CD-ROM and from the CASEL web site.
Rearing children of character demands time and attention. While having children may be
“doing what comes naturally,” being a good parent is much more complicated. Here are five tips to help your children build strong character:
Parents should help children by promoting moral action through self-discipline, good work habits, kind and considerate behavior to others, and community service. The bottom line in character development is behavior— their behavior and yours.
Source: Kevin Ryan’s “Ten Commandments for Parents,” Appendix I in Building Character in Schools (Ryan, K. and Bohlin, K.E.; Jossey-Bass, 1999).
In order for a character education initiative to be effectively implemented, a community of stakeholders, namely administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community representatives must work in a collaborative effort to achieve the goal. Each one has a viable role and various responsibilities to play in supporting and strengthening the tenets of civic virtue in a global and diverse society. Here are some thoughts about a teacher’s role in character education:
Role of the Teacher:
· modeling ethical behavior;
· assisting in developing better relationships within the classroom and the school;
· establishing a climate that celebrates the uniqueness of each student;
· integrating character education into the core curriculum;
· advancing the elements of character building through an interdisciplinary approach;
· facilitating discussions and role-playing activities;
· using the questioning strategy to stimulate students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills;
· assisting students in understanding more clearly the benefits in making informed and responsible choices;
· encouraging students to explore a variety of problem-solving techniques as a way of making ethical decisions.
Whenever I'm asked to give a commencement speech, I'm intimidated by the
challenge of finding something to say that is profound and practical without
being trite. I haven't succeeded yet, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. So
here are some thoughts for graduates:
·
By
all means, set goals and go after your dreams, but know that
your ultimate happiness will depend not on your plans but your
ability to cope with unexpected turns and unavoidable ups and downs.
You may not get what you thought you wanted, but if you're willing
to adapt, you can get something even better.
·
Don't ever underestimate the power of character. If you want to
win, don't whine. Success is made from hard work, perseverance and
integrity, not luck.
·
Listen to both your heart and your head. Pursue your passions but
don't confuse feelings with facts. Almost nothing is as good or as
bad as it first appears and all things change.
·
Remember, pain and disappointment are inevitable, but tough times
are temporary. The enduring impact of experiences and the true nature
of relationships are only revealed by time. Persist with confidence
that no negative emotion can withstand your will to be happy.
·
Fill
your life with laughter but don't confuse fun or pleasure with
happiness. Don't sacrifice a thousand tomorrows for a few todays.
·
Live
within your means and don't overestimate your ability to
resist temptations that threaten your relationships or reputation.
·
How
you make a living is important, but how you make a life is
vital. If you do not pay attention to your personal relationships,
no amount of career success will be enough.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.