FOR CHARACTER
creating schools and communities of character
July/August, 2005
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…
Take A Minute For Character
Impact of Service Learning on High School Students' Civic Engagement
TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER
I know that this issue of the Newsletter is late. A few have written to let me know that when I was working full-time, each issue arrived right around the first of every other month. I believe I have a good excuse for the lateness of the July/August issue. Our daughter, Alisa's wedding was last Saturday. All three of our children are now married. In fact, if you would like to see a picture from the wedding, you can check it out on the For Character web page at: http://www.forcharacter.com/page3.html
I mention the wedding because I often begin workshops with this question, “If you could interview the individual your daughter or son was to marry, what characteristics would you look for?” The audience will respond with attributes like respectful, responsible, caring, honest, and a person of integrity, to name just a few. Sure, every now and then someone will say the person must be fun or make a ton of money because those are things that would make their daughter (or son) happy. But when it really comes down to it, the “Six Pillars of Character” are what a parent would want to see in a prospective son or daughter in-law. Now, I didn’t necessarily interview my new son-in-law James. But I have come to know that he does possess the character traits that I want to see in a man that marries my daughter. Being a person of character is more to be valued than what one thinks the world today places in high regard. We might not always think this way until we put it in the perspective of what we would want someone to be like who develops a close relationship with one of our children. I have even heard it said that someone who lacks character makes a great date but a lousy mate.
Instead of asking the question about what you would like to see in someone who is marrying your son or daughter, would the responses be the same if you asked with whom would you like to work? I would be surprised if the responses were anything different than identifying the same pillars of character.
I share these as examples to show that being intentional about teaching character in our schools is preparation for life. What really matters in how we live our life is reflected in whether the values of respect, honesty, integrity, responsibility, caring and good citizenship are practiced. But, I have come to find there are many myths out there about ethics in the life we live after school. For example, there are those who say:
Personal character doesn’t matter as long as job performance is not affected.
If we weren’t taught character at a young age, it’s too late.
Ethical behavior in the workplace, can’t be taught.
Most people will just do the right thing. So, let’s not worry about character for adults.
Ethics are just lists of rules. We have plenty of rules already.
We know that these are not true statements. What really matters is living a life based upon character. Whether we are adults or educating students in school today, character does count.
Gary Edwards has concluded that, “When people accept responsibility for their own conduct and the well-being of others, ethics serves to stabilize society. Leading with character is the antidote to despair and cynicism that is crushing our spirit and clouding our future. Character is our hope.”
Gary Smit
gsmit@forcharacter.com
While I’m on a family theme, our son Jason, teaches 7th Grade Science here in the Chicago suburbs. He has started a not-for-profit organization that allows schools to assist children and young people in other countries by donating used backpacks. It is a great service project for any school or youth organization. If you would like to find out more about the project, or learn how one can become involved, you can access his web site at: www.backpackin4kids.com
HONOR ABOVE ALL
Perhaps the most serious problem facing our schools-as well as a society awaiting the next generation of leaders- is academic dishonesty and the cynicism behind it. In the wake of massive Wall Street scandals, political hypocrisy and values-degrading entertainment, it is becoming increasingly difficult to teach, enforce, advocate and model integrity at our schools. Under the influence of today’s bad examples, unacceptable number of students are adopting “do whatever it takes” strategies that include cheating, lying and even theft.
Honor Above All is a realistic, comprehensive, easy-to-implement program to help schools promote integrity. The kit can be ordered from CHARACTER COUNTS! The kit includes a teacher’s resource manual on preventing cheating, with discussion guidelines, inspirational stories and quotations, and a lesson plan promoting integrity as a way of life.
Over the past month, I have been presenting at the three National Center of Youth Issues Character Education Conferences in Texas, Indiana and Tennessee on the topic of Honor Above All. If you would like to receive a copy of the power point slides used at these sessions, just e-mail me with Honor Above All in the subject line and I will send you the slides. More information on the kit can be found at: http://www.charactercounts.org/honoraboveall.htm
IMPACT OF SERVICE-LEARNING ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
A new study has that found that service-learning students are significantly more likely to say they intend to vote and that they enjoy school. The study, authored by Shelley Billig, Sue Root, and Dan Jesse, suggests that service-learning is effective when it is implemented well, but it is no more effective than conventional social studies classes when the conditions are not optimal. Being implemented well meant that it was of sufficient duration (at least a semester), that it was linked to standards, involved more direct contact with service recipients, and had cognitively challenging reflection activities among other components. The study also showed that service-learning had an effect beyond other active learning techniques. The study compared more than 1,000 high school students who participated in service-learning programs with those who did not participate in schools matched for similar demographics and student achievement profiles.
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/WorkingPapers/WP33Billig.pdf
INFORMATION YOU CAN USE
STATES PROD SCHOOLS TO TEACH RELATIONSHIPS - Somehow, back when life was slower and families more conventionally nuclear, mothers and fathers seemed better able to teach their children the nuts and bolts of successful relationships: how to communicate clearly and how to resolve conflicts respectfully. Today, with rising concerns over divorce rates and domestic violence, states are making greater efforts to help couples navigate the path to matrimony and beyond. A growing number of states are placing greater responsibility on public schools to help provide young people with the tools they need to establish lasting, healthy relationships. The latest: Washington State, which recently joined New Jersey and Florida in passing legislation that strongly encourages public school courses that teach relationship skills. http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0613/p02s01-uspo.html
DISCOVERING COMMUNITY- Greg Sharrow, a former classroom teacher, ponders the connections between community and curriculum. The word "community," like the concept of "family," is an important and revered part of our general lexicon in this day and age. But what does it mean? In Sharrow’s thinking, community is a concept that’s like a big tent where we can park any number of meanings without sharing specific understanding of each other’s reference point. We can feel a sense of identity as a town in the same way that we can feel a sense of identity as a state or as a nation. But, additional "groups" of people also feel a sense of common identity -- of community: people of color, evangelical Christians, dairy farmers, gay and lesbians, Greek Americans, and NASCAR enthusiasts. No single definition of community will do because community means so many different things and it means them all at once. http://www.vermontcommunityworks.org/cwpublications/journal/cwjissuesarchive/cwjsummer05-web.pdf
CLASSROOM COMPETITION- How much competition is too much? In today’s accountability-driven world, many teachers believe competition is the best way to push kids to make their best efforts. And often principals and other supervisors agree, writes Susan Black. Teachers construct competitive activities because of mistaken assumptions, writes Alfie Kohn. Competition, in his view: (1) Does not motivate students to do their best; (2) Does not build students’ character or self-esteem; and (3) Does not help students build good social skills. Author and speaker Marvin Marshall agrees that competition "dulls the spirits" of kids who find themselves outside the winner’s circle. Competition can be useful and fun when it’s fair and is used to improve students’ performance in extracurricular activities, says Marshall, who promotes a motivational approach to learning. But classroom competition is counterproductive, he says -- especially when students are at the beginning stages of acquiring new knowledge and skills. Many teachers openly rank students according to test scores, grades, or some other competitive criteria. For students who strive to be at the top -- and who care about their class rank -- ratings might be an incentive, Marshall says, but rankings and ratings often depress kids who have no chance of making it. Competition seldom leads to meaningful learning, he says, and it doesn't turn kids into lifelong learners, a major goal found in many school mission statements. In competitive classrooms, teachers and students focus on an extrinsic interest in winning rather than on an intrinsic interest in learning. Marshall says that focus can lead to other problems, such as widespread cheating. For kids who struggle to learn, competition can feel like constant punishment, perpetuating the notion that school is unfair and unjust. http://www.asbj.com/current/research.html
PROMOTING POSITIVITY, CHOICE & REFLECTION - No student comes to school with the deliberate intention of failing or getting into trouble. Similarly, no adult enters the teaching profession with the intention of not being successful or not enjoying it. Yet, the profession loses fifty percent of its new teachers within five years and a rapidly growing number of students are demonstrating irresponsible behavior. Cognition prompts emotion. Someone compliments us and we feel good; someone criticizes us and we feel bad. First comes the cognition; the emotion follows. A key competency for educators to learn is understanding the importance of how critical positive emotions are in facilitating learning. Marvin Marshall describes three simple practices that foster positive school climates: (1) Practice positive self-talk; (2) Encourage staff to reframe experiences positively. For example, rather than telling a student, "No running in the hallway," instead say, "We walk in the hallway;" and (3) Encourage students to communicate in positive terms. http://www.marvinmarshall.com/promoting_positivity.htm
THE E.T.H.I.C.S. GUIDE
Express your concern to all individuals and organizations that influence young people.
Contact your local PTA as well as youth, business and civic organizations and encourage them to become a part of your character education initiative.
Contact influential individuals — the administration for your local schools, members of your local board of education and city council, state legislators, major employers — to inform them of the work around character development and to solicit their support.
Teach your family the importance of character by living according to the Six Pillars of Character.
Make a point to emphasize the importance of good character in family discussions.
Consciously and visibly teach children and young people a model for making ethical decisions
Look for opportunities to discuss the ethical implications of family situations, news stories, TV programs and movies in terms of the “Six Pillars of Character”: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Don’t simply preach or sermonize — discuss. Listen to your children with firm conviction, but with respect.
Discuss with your children favorite quotes from the Josephson Institute’s library of quotations, asking them to explain and give other examples from their own lives. Start collecting your own list of quotations for discussion.
Hold yourself and others more strictly accountable to live up to the six core ethical values.
When you are wrong, demonstrate accountability by admitting it and apologizing.
f a teacher or other credible adult reports misconduct of a member of your family, don’t automatically take the child’s side. Don’t threaten or intimidate someone who is doing in good faith what he or she should be doing.
When members of your family or close work associates violate core ethical principles — whether it is a failure to show respect or common courtesy, an act of selfishness or a lie — express appropriate disapproval or impose sanctions. Don’t let misconduct become the norm. Don’t lower your expectations.
Inform yourself about what is going on in schools and youth organizations.
Use CHARACTER COUNTS! materials to educate yourself on matters concerning the development of character and to develop more refined skills of teaching the “Six Pillars of Character” in all the contexts in which you relate to young people.
Encourage your local schools to use CHARACTER COUNTS! assessment and surveying services to discover how much cheating and other forms of misbehavior are occurring. Make it clear to administrators that you expect them to maintain an environment that fosters honest, responsible and respectful behavior.
Create an atmosphere of positive and negative consequences that encourages and rewards good character.
Praise conduct that exemplifies the core ethical values, especially when that conduct wasn’t easy.
Be sure that negative behavior results in appropriately negative consequences.
Display CHARACTER COUNTS! posters, hand out CHARACTER COUNTS! wallet cards, wear the CHARACTER COUNTS! pin (and/or T-shirts, hats, patches, etc.) to build awareness. Encourage local schools and youth groups to acquire CHARACTER COUNTS! curricular materials and apparel to raise consciousness and generate support for character-building efforts.
Support individuals and organizations engaged in character-development activities.
Write notes and letters, make phone calls, and otherwise express your support for groups and individuals engaged in character-building activities.
Volunteer your time to support local CHARACTER COUNTS! activities through organizations which are members of the Coalition.
FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE
Want to Be Inspired? Read "Foundations for Life" youth essays now online. Through the Josephson Institute`s newest initiative, the Foundations for Life (FFL) essay program, our nation`s youth are now weighing in on these value-based messages found in quotations and maxims. You can read the top entries of the first National FFL Essay Contest, which were announced in May. Every essay submitted was thought-provoking and moving. Read the winning essays here:
www.FFL-essays.org/students/essays
FFL helps young people develop reading, critical thinking and writing skills, while encouraging them to reflect on the importance of good character in leading a successful and meaningful life. It is also an opportunity for students to participate in the National Foundations for Life Essay Contest and earn education scholarships.
COMMENTARY BY MICHAEL JOSEPHSON
Happiness Is a Choice
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy asks Charlie Brown, "Why do you think we were put on earth?"
Charlie answers, "To make others happy."
Lucy replies, "I don`t think I`m making anyone happy," and then she adds, "but nobody`s making me very happy either. Somebody`s not doing his job!"
People like Lucy are so sure that happiness is a matter of "getting" that they "ask not what they can do for others, but what others can and should do for them." And they usually feel shortchanged or cheated. They become so preoccupied with what they don`t have that they can`t enjoy what they do have. What`s more, they don`t realize that one of the best ways to be happy is to experience the joy and sense of self-worth that comes from making others happy.
Dennis Prager, in his book Happiness Is a Serious Problem, argues that it`s human nature to want and feel we need "more." The problem is that, by definition, the quest for "more" is endless because we can always add more to whatever we have. As a result, the Lucys of the world often live in an "if only" world that keeps them one step away from happiness: "If only I could get this raise, make this sale, pay off my debts, or win this game, I`d be happy."
Abraham Lincoln understood that happiness is essentially a way of looking at one`s life. "A person is generally about as happy as he`s willing to be," he said. Thus, we`re more likely to experience happiness if we realize that happiness is not just getting what we want. It`s learning to want what we get.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.