FOR CHARACTER
creating schools and communities of character
                                                                                                September/October, 2006
An electronic newsletter to help make sure character counts!
                                                                                                                                    Gary Smit

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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…
Constitution Day
Have We Forgotten Civic Education?
Information You Can Use
Is CHARACTER COUNTS! Week For You?
The Lesson Corner
Michael Josephson Commentary

TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER

Whenever I do a CHARACTER COUNTS! training, there is an activity that is usually done on the very first day. I ask the participants to describe an everyday hero. They are to think of people in their life who have impacted them for good and the way this has happened sticks with them for years, shaping who they are. As they tell others who their everyday hero is, common themes emerge. The individuals they name have demonstrated in their lives the importance of being an honest, respectful, responsible, caring person. We learn that by what other have said and done and, most importantly, who they are does make a difference and that compassion and courage, tenderness and tenacity, honesty and integrity are the stuff of true heroes.

I came across an article from teaching moments that connects well with the importance placed on thinking about heroes. 

Often when we think of heroes, we imagine showy acts of bravery or daring, but quiet heroes are just as important. Quiet heroes do something special during the normal course of their day. They do it without fanfare, parades or dinners to honor their accomplishments.  Their actions help people and set a positive example for others to follow.
 
Dave Knell says, “A hero is a person who does the right thing when the right thing is the hardest thing to do.” 
 
Dave overcame spinal cord surgery and then won two medals at the Senior Olympics.  He swam to celebrate his journey through extreme back pain, surgery and recovery.  He set an example for the people around him.  He showed people that they could do virtually anything if they set a goal and pursued it with determination and enthusiasm.  He is a hero.
 
A few other examples of quiet heroes include a nurse who comforts a dying patient’s family, a teacher who stays late to tutor one student, a truck driver who stops to help a motorist, and a student who helps a friend who is being bullied.  A quiet hero can be the school janitor or your mother who works two jobs so she can put food on the table. It can be someone who volunteers at church or the local Ronald McDonald House or who is a PTA committee member.
 
Quiet heroes are all around us.  They give us a smile when we need it, a hug at just the right time or some stern advice when that is appropriate.  Through their unselfish efforts they make our day better.
 
Suggestions for implementation:
1.    List five people from your family, neighborhood, church or school who you think are quiet heroes.
2.    Give a short description of the special thing each person does.

Questions for discussion:
1.    Why did you choose these five people?
2.    What lessons can you learn from them?
3.    How can you show your quiet heroes that you appreciate their efforts?
4.    How can you be a quiet hero to someone?
From www.Teachingmoments.com
 
Gary Smit
gsmit@forcharacter.com

CONSTITUTION DAY

September 17 has been designated as Constitution Day. To help schools comply with the federal requirement to offer an educational program on Constitution Day, Annenberg Classroom, in cooperation with a prestigious group of educators and media organizations offers a variety of educational resources.  There are a number of activities that can be done by teachers at all grade levels to draw recognition of the Constitution and its benefits to us as a democratic nation.  The web site to access videos, activities, lesson plans and instructional resources is: http://www.justicelearning.org/constitutionday/index.asp

At the elementary and middle school, the site I like that includes lesson plans is the Center for Civic Education at:  http://www.civiced.org/lessons/lessons_by_level.php?level=ES

HAVE WE FORGOTTEN CIVIC EDUCATION?

Social studies is no longer a priority in schools and has not been for some time, writes Marshall Croddy. Most recently, because of the national No Child Left Behind mandates and the school accountability system, language arts, math and science are emphasized. Resources for history/social science in terms of professional development, materials and even instructional time are scarce. This is particularly true at low-scoring elementary schools serving underrepresented student populations, where instructional time for social studies has been greatly diminished. A cruel irony, really: those least empowered and most in need of the knowledge and skills of effective citizenship and advocacy are the least likely to be exposed to them. Recent studies demonstrate that our nation and state are paying a price for this neglect. The California Survey of Civic Education conducted last year demonstrated that despite taking a course in U.S. government in the 12th grade, graduating seniors' knowledge of the structures and functions of government and of current political issues is very weak. Students averaged only a little over 60% correct on a test of their civics content knowledge, a low "D" on typical grading scales. The survey also revealed that today's graduates are not inclined toward participatory citizenship. Less than half of high school seniors surveyed believed that "being actively involved in state and local issues is my responsibility." http://news.publiceducation.org/t/5780/191161/176/0/

INFORMATION YOU CAN USE

• HANDLE WITH CARE - Most children and adolescents want to be good, but they find it very difficult. There are many competing pressures on them, and they often feel that they must choose between loyalty to friends and "doing what is right," as dictated by parents and teachers. Children need opportunities to talk with sympathetic adults who can help them to understand that they are not alone in their ethical confusion and that they are not the only ones who sometimes fall short of their own ethical ideal. The latest issue of Greater Good magazine features several essays on the topic of "everyday ethics," including an essay by Nel Noddings about how to teach children to make ethical decisions in their daily lives. To deal with everyday ethical problems, argues Noddings, kids need more than just a simple list of rules or virtues. They need chances to talk through their problems with caring and engaged adults. Her essay can be found at: http://peacecenter.berkeley.edu/SpringSummer06_Noddings.pdf

• STUDY EXPLORES IMPACT OF POLICE OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS - Putting police officers in violence-prone schools may cut crime, but it also increases tensions, turns harmless disputes into criminal matters and is perceived by many students as racially biased, according to a recent report by graduate students at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. The Impact Schools Initiative began in January 2004, when New York City assigned officers to 22 especially troubled public middle and high schools. The city claims that half of those schools have shown such dramatic safety improvements that they have now been removed from the program, reports Kamelia Angelova. But the Wagner report found that the program has also increased expulsions and that many students in these schools get criminal records for incidents that would not be treated as criminal offenses if they were committed in schools with less police presence. “The Impact Initiative is a quick-fix to lower the number of crimes and it ignores the educational and psychological aspect of violence,” said Roberta Thomas, who recently graduated from the Wagner program and worked on the report. When police are present, students are often charged with “disorderly conduct” for screaming in the halls or yelling at a teacher -- incidents that are punished less severely in other schools, the study found. The study recommends that the city focus on crime prevention rather than punishment, on building relationships with the students rather than treating them as potential criminals, and a renewed focus on the broader issues of reducing overcrowding and funding disparities. http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/weeklyView.cfm?articlenumber=1922

• MAKING EDUCATION BETTER - With the school year beginning, it is a good time to think about what we each need to understand in order to help our own children and their schools. The education myth that is still strong, despite all that we know about the intricacies of learning, is that somehow learning is a straight line: a teacher teaches, a student learns. Actually, education is a slow, messy, zigzag process. For example, in math class, students may look as if they are listening and be the proverbial million miles away. Yet, these same students at home may figure out batting averages and even follow the stock market. The overwhelming majority of learning time is spent outside the school. Students at best go to school half the days of the year and only one-quarter of the day. These facts alone ought to be enough to convince school boards, parents and politicians that not everything is taking place in school. Yet, the No Child Left Behind Act and related state legislation continue to support the myth of the all-powerful school without providing support for the learning that takes place at the kitchen sink and while driving in the car. Teaching well is important but students have to want to learn, writes Dorothy Rich. Education is a lot more connected, secretive and miraculous than we know. The mind, the heart, the brain, the spirit -- all of these play a bigger role than we can now identify. Students and parents too need teachers who know not only their subject but also how to encourage, how to motivate and how to respond positively. So, in this complex process called education, what is the single most important thing we can do as teachers and parents? For me, the answer is a "C" word, and it's not curriculum. It’s caring. http://news.publiceducation.org/t/5780/191161/169/0/

IS CHARACTER COUNTS! WEEK FOR YOU?

If you're a parent, educator, coach or youth leader, you probably know all about our biggest event of the year, the 13th annual CC! Week celebration (October 15-21). But even if you're not directly involved with kids or education, you can still take part in building a community around enduring common values such as the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.

CHARACTER COUNTS! has developed a range of free downloadable resources and ideas to help you celebrate this year's extravaganza in your area. For example, community leaders could arrange a ceremony and issue a CC! Week proclamation. Business leaders could donate a percentage of the proceeds from goods and services purchased during the week to a local school or youth organization. Parents could focus on one of the Six Pillars and reward their children for modeling the character trait with a CC! sticker, wristband, or dog tag.

The free materials are now available to help you plan your activities. To access them, go to the CC! Week website http://www.charactercounts.org/ccweek/index.php or call (800) 711-2670.

THE LESSON CORNER

The Best in Critical-Thinking Instruction Just Got Better
The free Foundations for Life teacher's kit has just improved dramatically with updated versions of its two popular writing-skill booklets: Teacher's Resource (Elementary Edition) and Teacher's Resource (Middle and High School Edition). The manuals, which can be ordered separately or as part of the overall kit, now include these additional features:
·    Lesson plans from the popular Step Up to Writing program
·    Introduction to the 6+1 Trait® Writing framework
·    Strategies for integrating maxims across a variety of writing genres
·    Tips for weaving the Foundations for Life program into standing curricular programs
·    Brand-new maxims pulled from popular grade-level literature (elementary edition only)
Incorporating maxims into your instruction is an effective way to encourage active reading across all content areas. To give you a sample, the following is adapted from one of the Step Up to Writing lesson plans:

Quotation and Response
Fold a piece of paper in half. Find a quotation and write it on the left half and your response on the right half. Your response is not a right or wrong answer. Just write what you feel, like, dislike or agree with. If the maxim poses a problem, offer a solution. Select a quote that:
Makes you mad
Surprises you
You disagree with
You agree with
You feel is incorrect
Is expressed in an unusual, catchy way
Is important for other people to know
You would like to talk about
Reminds you of a similar situation
To order your free kit (or just the two updated editions), go to Foundations for Life -  www.ffl-essays.org

MICHAEL JOSEPHSON COMMENTARY
BACK TO SCHOOL SHOULD MEAN BACK TO CHARACTER

It's back to school time and time to think about what America's children will and will not be learning this year. We know schools will concentrate on reading math, history, literature and lots of other things to help kids be smart. But what will they teach to help kids become good?

Theodore Roosevelt said, "To educate a person in the mind but not the morals is to educate a menace to society." What better proof of this do we need than the current Wall Street scandals?

Although more schools are taking character-building responsibilities seriously, most only give character development lip service. As a result, cheating and disrespect flourishes in classrooms and on sports fields, and young people are unintentionally nudged toward moral agnosticism - a belief that there really is no right and wrong.

Building character isn't easy. It starts with attentiveness, but it's not just a matter of hanging posters or lists of virtues. It requires serious and sustained efforts to enhance the ethical consciousness, commitment and competence of youngsters through pervasive, continual and creative lessons and activities. It requires a clear vision of the desired outcomes in terms of explicitly identified ethical values and a coherent implementation strategy.

The real issue is not whether schools should teach values; they can't avoid it. The entire school experience is laden with value messages that influence the character of children, too often for the worse. The issue is whether they are willing to do so intentionally and with proficiency.

There are so many resources available now that there's no excuse.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.