FOR CHARACTER

creating schools and communities of character

September/October, 2004

An electronic newsletter to help make sure character counts

Gary Smit

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.

IN THIS ISSUE …

·         “Honor above all" anti-cheating resources available online

·         Information you can use

·         Every person influences children (EPIC)

·         A teacher's rules -- for herself

·         Looking anew at parental involvement

·         Commentary by Michael Josephson

TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER – Gary Smit

This is the first issue that is sent with the beginning of a new school year. Around the country, many teachers at all grade levels use the first weeks of school to introduce routines, materials, and learning areas in a structured way. Taking the time to do this early in the year has big payoffs all year long. Let me share with you a set of expectations for students, staff and parents that if followed will make this a great year. 

I believe each group has responsibilities in order for quality education to occur in classrooms.

Students should commit to:

·        Attend school regularly

·        Work hard to do their best in class

·        Be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and a good citizen

Parents should promise to:

·        Have high expectations for their child

·        Help their child learn how to resolve conflict in positive ways

·        Model appropriate behavior and good character

·        Understand and support the dedicated efforts of teachers

Staff, which includes teachers, support staff and administration, should:

·        Show we care about all students

·        Have high expectations for ourselves and the students

·        Communicate and work with families to support students’ learning

·        Provide a safe environment for learning

Along with these areas of responsibility, I would like to identify what students, parents and staff need to make the school year a success:

Students need:

·        Teachers and staff members who care

·        People who believe they can learn

·        A school that is safe

·        A family and community that models good character and supports them

·        Time with caring adults

Parents need:

·        Teachers who respect the role of parents

·        Clear and frequent communication with school

·        A community that supports families

·        A school staff that is willing to enter into a partnership role with the home for the benefit of the student

A staff needs:

·        Students who are ready and willing to learn

·        Respect and support from students and the home

·        Respect and support from the community

Schools can not do the job of educating children and young people in isolation. The efforts of teachers this year will be more effective when students and parents work cooperatively in making sure these key components are integrated into the daily life of our classrooms.

Gary Smit

gsmit@forcharacter.com

“HONOR ABOVE ALL" ANTI-CHEATING RESOURCES AVAILABLE ONLINE

The Josephson Institute has developed a wide-ranging set of resources to prevent cheating and foster academic integrity in young people, and they have proven very popular. You can purchase them over our secure online connection at www.charactercounts.org. They lie at the heart of a new campaign called "Honor Above All," and include:

·        An insightful manual full of practical techniques to change the attitudes and behavior of youth

·        A classroom value kit, with student wallet cards, a poster, PowerPoint presentations and more

·        A school value kit, for a campus-wide campaign

·        Long-lasting vinyl banners with powerful messages about honor, for display on campus

Download a free preliminary copy of the manual here: http://www.charactercounts.org/pdf/Promoting_Integrity.pdf

INFORMATION YOU CAN USE:
 

·        YOUTH ACTION: COMMUNITY IMPACT
Across the country, young people are increasingly becoming leaders who possess the knowledge and skill to evoke positive change for themselves, their families and their communities. Much of this can be attributed to the youth organizing efforts of dozens of grassroots organizations that respond to young people’s individual development needs and inspire them with a sense of social and civic responsibility. "Forum Focus: Youth Act: Community Impact," shares the story of the progress made toward helping one organization, Community IMPACT! Nashville, live up to its name. This publication summarizes exciting new research on engaging young people in civic activism as a powerful tool for youth development and community change and profiles the importance of youth action.

·        “FREEDOM’S TORCH”

In September, schools across the country, Freedom’s Answer will hold a memorial ceremony to mark the third anniversary of 9/11 and “pass freedom’s torch” by kicking off its voter pledge drive.  Students will commit to “Take 10” – a pledge to get 10 voters to the polls. You can find more information at www.freedomsanswer.net.

·        CHILDHOOD OBESTITY & BULLYING LINKED
Overweight adolescents are more likely than normal-weight children to be victims and perpetrators of bullying, a study found, bolstering evidence that being fat endangers emotional as well as physical health. The results of a study of 5,749 Canadian youngsters echo data from British research and follow a U.S. study published last year in which obese children rated their quality of life as low as that of young cancer patients because of teasing and weight-related health problems, reports Lindsay Tanner. The new findings underscore the importance of enlisting teachers and schools in the fight to prevent and treat obesity in children, said lead author Ian Janssen, an obesity researcher at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. "Anybody's who's ever been on a playground would know" that overweight children are among those who get picked on, Janssen said, adding that in some cases, that may lead the youngsters to become bullies themselves.

·        SURVEY: MORE TEENS FEAR GOING TO SCHOOL
The number of U.S. teenagers skipping school for fear of getting hurt climbed over the past decade, even though violence in schools actually declined, according to a new report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed the increase in part to a rise in schoolyard threats and lingering fear from the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other school shootings in the 1990s. More than one out of every 20 high school students -- 5.4 percent -- skipped at least one day of school because of safety concerns in 2003, according to the CDC survey. That is up from 4.4 percent in 1993. At the same time, CDC statistics indicate an
overall drop in school violence over the past decade.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/07/29/school.violence.ap/index.html

·        Yorkville School Diswtrict in Yorkville, Illinois has a great activity for students in 1^st and 2^nd grade,entitled, “A Quest for Respect With the Grouch Ladybug.” You can access the activity from their website, http://www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqfrey/webqsfrey.html.  The activity helps students to discover the meaning of respect and provides teachers with a list of assignments for the students.

EVERY PERSON INFLUENCES CHILDREN (EPIC)
 

EPIC is a national organization with the mission of helping parents, teachers and community members raise children to become responsible adults. Each day, we are reminded that the moral fabric of our society is under attack. Violence on our streets and in our homes often represents
the failure of parents and community to instill in children the character traits needed to become responsible, capable adults. But it's not enough to attribute the failure to parents and the community. The root cause of the failure is the real story: (1) Some parents need help developing their parenting skills. (2) Teachers often lack the lessons, materials and training to effectively reinforce character education in their classrooms. (3) Community members have the opportunity to reinforce character education, but often lack the requisite skills to do so effectively. EPIC is more than just an advocate for parenting and character education, however.  EPIC provides programs, workshops, materials and platforms through which parents, teachers, and community members can become better prepared and get the training and tools they need to effectively raise
responsible and capable children.  http://www.epicforchildren.org/

A TEACHER'S RULES -- FOR HERSELF

Fifth/sixth grade teacher Janet Gannon understands that respectful classroom environments begin with collective rule setting involving students. "One year I decided to create a set of rules for myself, based on my own hopes and dreams," Gannon writes in this article for Responsive
Classroom. "After thinking, writing, and revising I came up with the following four rules that I hoped would guide my behavior as a teacher:
(1) Think before you talk;

(2) Do your best work;

(3) Tell them why; and
(4) Make them geniuses."

Gannon hung her rules on an index card above her desk. "I don't think my students noticed them but I saw them every day." Read her column and find out why she thinks each rule is critically
important.  http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/articlelibrary/feature_38.asp

LOOKING ANEW AT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Schools across the country are redefining parental involvement, writes Gene R. Carter. From family literacy nights to parents who volunteer in school offices and classrooms, schools are transcending bake sales and parent teacher conferences to explore new ways to involve parents in their children's education. A relationship between parents and their children's school helps parents feel comfortable contributing to the school and their children's academic success. The importance of parental involvement is well documented in education research.
http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=2541&reid=sb

With the start of the new school year, here are two activities that can help to build a sense
of community.
 

From Caring School Community: “People Who Make It Work”

This activity from the Developmental Studies Center http://www.devstu.org/ takes the form of a school-wide project to  kick off the new academic year. In each classroom students interview their teacher and one or more of the non-teaching school staff members and then create vivid displays for a whole-school collage that captures the voices and faces of every adult in the school community. The goal is to help students get to know the adults they see at school every day—teachers, secretaries, administrators, nurses, librarians, playground monitors, lunchroom staff, classroom aides, social workers, bus drivers, and the custodial staff. The displays can include photograph, drawings, stories, poems, or whatever else fits the interests and ambitions of the collage makers. For specific details on how to organize this project successfully, go to
http://www.casel.org/devstuactivity.pdf
 

The First Six Weeks of School. The book provides guidelines, activities, and sample daily schedules for achieving four critical goals: (1) creating a climate and tone of warmth and safety; (2) teaching about schedules, routines, and expectations for behavior; (3) introducing students to the physical environment and materials of the classroom and the school, including how to use and care for them; and (4) establishing expectations about ways to learn together in the year ahead.  For more information go to the Responsive Classroom web site at: http://responsiveclassroomorg.readyhosting.com/newsletter/12_2NL_1.html
 

COMMENTARY by MICHAEL JOSEPHSON

Earn Your Eulogy

A cartoon depicts an old king seeking admission at the gates of heaven. The gatekeeper locates his name in a large book and says, "Edward the Good, huh? Well, Eddie, we will be the judge of that."  The point is that, in the end, generous self-appraisals of our goodness won't matter. Our obituaries, epitaphs and eulogies will be built on what we did with our talents and resources and how we touched lives. In the hurly-burly of everyday living, it's hard to keep perspective. Money, position, pride and power seem so important -- until they're not. In the end, all our possessions, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else and the wins and losses that once seemed so important will be insignificant.

What will matter is not how many people we knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when we're gone. What will matter is how long we will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Benjamin Disraeli said, "Life is too short to be little." We make our lives little by filling them with jealousies and grudges, self-righteousness and self-deception, shallow or dysfunctional
relationships, and work without purpose or meaning. Life is enlarged by giving and receiving love, by parenting and teaching, by encouraging and supporting, by charity and service, and by expanding our knowledge and exploring profound truths.

So if we care about our legacy, we need to be more strategic about how we live our lives. Just think about what you want people to say about you after you die and then live backwards. In other words, earn the eulogy that you and those who love you would be proud of.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

The next CHARACTER COUNTS! Week:
October 17-23, 2004

National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week is celebrated every year during the third full week of October. Click here for activity ideas to celebrate the Week — and to keep character-building efforts alive throughout the year.