FOR CHARACTER
creating schools and communities of character
                                                                                                                                       July/August 2007
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…
School Implementation Checklist
Cheat Sheet
Information You Can Use
Grants
The Critical Years: Social and Emotional Learning
Seven Sportsmanship Rules For Kids
Lesson Plan
Michael Josephson Commentary

TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER

One of the key elements in creating classrooms of character is the need for teachers to build relationships with students.  I believe that this can happen when teachers encourage students to do their best in a manner that truly demonstrates they care about them. To demonstrate the power of encouragement, I want to share the story of Will and Fern.

Two frogs named Will and Fern weren't looking where they were going and they fell into a deep pit. At first they thought it would be easy to jump out, but after 10 failed attempts they were getting desperate and a crowd of animals gathered around the pit. The consensus of the crowd was there was no way either could jump high enough, so they yelled out their verdict and urged Will and Fern to accept their fate and give up. The harder the trapped frogs jumped, the more the crowd yelled at them to surrender. Finally, Will fell back to the bottom and gave up. Fern refused to quit, and with one mighty last try she made it out of the pit.

When her amazed crowd asked her how she had done it when they were telling her to give up…she very quizzically looked at them and reported she was a bit hard of hearing and she thought they were rooting her on!

Teachers have opportunities each day to make a difference in someone’s life by rooting them on, telling them what you appreciate about them, or acknowledging their efforts. When you do, you truly demonstrate by your actions that you care about the students who have been entrusted to your care.

Gary Smit
gsmit@forcharacter.com
www.forcharacter.com

CHARACTER COUNTS! SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST

Implementing CHARACTER COUNTS! pervasively, requires a commitment by all who come in contact with students. You can check your implementation of CHARACTER COUNTS! by assessing your school's level of involvement in the following CHARACTER COUNTS!  For example, if you think CC! is very integrated in the English/Language Arts classes at your school, give yourself a "5' for high. If your school is currently planning to recognize students showing good character, give a "2".
5 =  High        4= Medium        3= Low    2= Plan to    1= None           

1.   Having parents speak about CC! in the classroom                                                                   
2.   Involving parents in CC! through parent conferences                   
3.   Involving parents in CC! through the PTA                   
4.   Having a committee on which parents serve that promotes CC!                   
5.   Informing parents about CC! through publications (newsletters, media, brochures)                   
6.   Having community members speak at CC! events                   
7.   Having community members contribute materials for CC! rewards                   
8.   Having community members serve on committees that promote CC!                   
9.    Informing community members about CC! through publications                   
10.  Recognizing students for showing good character                   
11.  Having student assemblies that promote CC!                   
12.  Involving students in character education contests (e.g.essay)                   
13.  Having students serve on committee that promote CC!                   
14.  Developing discipline policies that promote the Six Pillars                   
15.  Developing strategies for improving school climate                   
16.  Participating in staff development focusing on CC!                   
17.  Promoting CC! through morning announcements                   
18.  Using banners, posters, bulletin boards, school marquee, etc, to promote CC!                   
19.  Having students participate in lessons that teach the Six Pillars                   
20.  Integrating CC! into English/Language Arts                   
21.  Integrating CC! into Math                   
22.  Integrating CC! into Science                   
23.  Integrating CC! into Social Studies                   
24.  Integrating CC! into Guidance                   
25.  Integrating CC! into music, art, PE                   
26.  CC! and the Six Pillars are emphasized by teachers in lessons                   
27.  There are CC! related activities occurring on a daily basis                   
28.  Using curricular units that integrate CC!                   
29.  Developing a plan to integrate CC! into the life of the school                   
30.  Having students participate in service learning projects                   
31.  Promoting CC! in extra-curricular activities (e.g clubs, sports)                   
32.  There are more ideas to implementing CC! than time                   
33.  Teachers think CC! is one more thing to add to their plate                   
34.  Having principal support for the CC! initiative                   

CHEAT SHEET

Forget writing on hands or whispering answers. Many students have traded the cheating techniques of yesteryear for more sophisticated methods. Below are a few of the more innovative ways students have tried to gain an unfair advantage. You have to wonder what these students would accomplish if they were to apply such creativity and determination to a more constructive endeavor—like studying.

• Water bottles: Students write answers on the inside of a bottle’s label, then reattach it, so the writing is visible through the water during the test.
• Cell phones: In addition to text-messaging answers to one another, students take pictures of the test, then beam the images to friends. Others photograph their notes ahead of time. 
• M&M’s: After assigning each candy color a multiple-choice letter, students line up M&M’s on their desks in the order of the answers. 
• MP3 players: Before the test, students record answers and then listen to them through earphones during exams. 
• Invisible-ink pens: Kids write notes or formulas on a sheet of paper in invisible ink, then use the pen’s ultraviolet flashlight during the test to reveal what they’ve written. 
• Personal digital assistants: Students send information to one another through their PDAs and use the devices to store formulas and notes.

I just presented a workshop at the Character Plus Conference in St. Louis on how to “Put a Stop to Cheating in Your School.” The presentation covered what we know about student cheating in school and provided strategies on how teachers can address academic dishonesty.  Interested in this being an in-service presentation for your school? Give me a call or drop me an e-mail note.

INFORMATION YOU CAN USE

• MODERN-DAY 3Rs: RULES, RULES, RULES - A culture of control has high school campuses in an ever-tightening grip, many students say, extending beyond the long-standing restrictions on provocative clothing, cellphone use and classtime bathroom visits. Akin to the omnipresent "helicopter parents," these students say, are helicopter administrators who home in on their smallest moves, no matter how guileless or mundane. Some administrators acknowledge that the list of rules meant to ban, limit or deter potentially inappropriate or dangerous actions is steadily growing. But teenagers, nothing if not skilled in the art of asserting their adulthood, say the accumulation of these little laws can be the most frustrating part of their high school experience. They feel micromanaged and nitpicked at every turn, reports Ian Shapira for the Washington Post. The rules are especially maddening when one school prohibits something that another allows. Or when the rules contradict themselves and students can't tell which one they should obey. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/10/AR2007031001475.html

• KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT SUCCESS - How can districts organize and manage themselves to achieve excellence in every school and classroom, and not just a few? For the past four years, a joint project of Harvard University’s business school and its graduate school of education has been pressing that question in partnership with nine large school districts around the country. Coherence is key, reports Lynn Olsen in Education Week. Districts have to start by focusing on the "instructional core," the critical work of teaching and learning that goes on in classrooms. They have to set concrete performance objectives and intermediate milestones to determine if they're making progress. District leaders also have to bring the key organizational elements of the school system together in a way that is congruent with the improvement strategy. Those elements include the culture of the district, or expectations about "how things work around here"; formal and informal structures and systems, such as the way decisions get made; accountability mechanisms; compensation arrangements and training programs; the allocation of resources, including people, technology, and data; the management of stakeholder relationships both inside and outside the organization; and the external environment, such as state rules and regulations, union contracts, and public and private funding sources. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/06/26/43pelp_web.h26.html

• THE NEUROSCIENCE OF JOYFUL EDUCATION - Most children can't wait to start kindergarten and they approach the beginning of school with awe and anticipation. Kindergartners and first graders often talk passionately about what they learn and do in school. Unfortunately, the current emphasis on standardized testing and rote learning encroaches upon many students' joy. In their zeal to raise test scores, too many policymakers wrongly assume that students who are laughing, interacting in groups, or being creative with art, music, or dance are not doing real academic work. The result is that some teachers feel pressure to preside over more sedate classrooms with students on the same page in the same book, sitting in straight rows, facing straight ahead. The truth is that when we scrub joy and comfort from the classroom, we distance our students from effective information processing and long-term memory storage. Instead of taking pleasure from learning, students become bored, anxious, and anything but engaged. They ultimately learn to feel bad about school and lose the joy they once felt. Current brain-based research suggests that superior learning takes place when classroom experiences are enjoyable and relevant to students' lives, interests, and experiences. Many education theorists, writes Judy Willis in Educational Leadership magazine, have proposed that students retain what they learn when the learning is associated with strong positive emotion. Classrooms can be the safe haven where academic practices and classroom strategies provide students with emotional comfort and pleasure as well as knowledge. When teachers use strategies to reduce stress and build a positive emotional environment, students gain emotional resilience and learn more efficiently.  http://www.publiceducation.org/20070706_ASCDjoyfuleducation.asp

GRANTS

"Disney Minnie Grants Support Youth-led Service Projects"
The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America, through Disney Minnie Grants, are supporting youth-led service projects that are planned and implemented in communities. Service can take place between October 1 and November 26, 2007, and projects can address the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, or any issue that youth identify as a community need. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations that engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementation. Deadline: August 30, 2007.
www.YSA.org/awards

"Grants Reward Young Stars of Social Change"
By celebrating and spotlighting young stars of social change, Dosomething.org’s BR!CK Award creates a new breed of role models who aren't famous for what they wear (or don't) or who they date, but for what they do. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: permanent residents of the Unites States and Canada under 25. Deadline: April 12, 2008.
http://www.dosomething.org/brick

"Comcast Foundation Grants Support Youth Leadership Development"
The Comcast Foundation is awarding grants to maximize the impact of community investments so they yield tangible, measurable benefits to the neighborhoods Comcast serves and the people who live there. The foundation's primary focus is in funding diversity-oriented programs that address literacy, volunteerism and youth leadership development. Maximum Award: $570,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations operating within communities that Comcast serves. Deadline: N/A.
http://www.comcast.com/foundation

THE CRITICAL YEARS: SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING

The New York Times has wrapped up its series on the nation's middle school "crisis" -- titled "The Critical Years" -- with a profile of Briarcliff Middle School in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. The grades 6-8 school, according to Winnie Hu, "has emerged as a nationally recognized model of a middle school that gets things right, a place that goes beyond textbooks to focus on social and emotional development." The school relies heavily on the "Habits of Mind" program, developed by Arthur L. Costa, to "develop critical thinking, teach organizational skills, and instill social and moral values." As the story notes, the school also is very middle class, very white, and enjoys tax support of $24,738 per student, about 150 percent of the N.Y. state average. The story highlights several other widely used programs that help middle schools integrate social and emotional learning into their programs. http://www.middleweb.com/mw/news/NYTmsmanages.doc

SEVEN SPORTSMANSHIP RULES FOR KIDS

Tiger Woods has always credited much of his success to his father, Earl, because he taught him much more than how to hit a golf ball. Earl Woods died in 2006, but before he did, many of his life lessons were published in a book called Start Something: You Can Make a Difference. Here are just seven of those rules for kids:

1. You are a leader. Leadership is within each and every one of us. It doesn’t mean you have to be a loud, "Follow me!" type; you can do it with quiet dignity. There are many ways to lead – by your words, your actions, your attitude.
2.  Hitting a ball doesn’t make someone a hero. Just because someone is famous doesn’t mean you should look up to him. It’s what someone does away from the game – in real life -- that qualifies him or her for role model status.
3. No one wins every time. We all want to win, but if you’ve given everything you’ve got and tried your best, there is nothing wrong with not being number one. 
4. Lose like a winner. True winners know how to lose gracefully and treat winners with respect. As Tiger says, "I enter every tournament with the same thought: win. If I don’t, I’m disappointed, but it doesn’t take long to get over it, and I learn from the experience."
5. Showing off isn`t the same as showing confidence. People who brag about how great they are aren’t confident; they’re insecure. Confidence gives you the ability to walk into a room and feel strong and comfortable, sure of who you are, without feeling the need to broadcast that you’re better than everyone else.
6. Support your teammates. Remember the last time you struck out? The next time someone else has a bad day, a few nice words ("You can do it"…"Good try") can make a world of difference. Show others you value people over winning.
7. If you don’t want all the blame, don’t take all the credit. No one wants to hear you say, "If it weren’t for me, we would have lost." Be proud of yourself, but let everyone feel proud, too. A true leader makes the whole team stronger.

LESSON PLAN Summer Activities to Build Trust

School’s out and for many it means summer camp. CHARACTER COUNTS! publishes lesson plans for teachers to use in summer school classes or even day camp programs. This month’s lesson plans focus on building trust and caring among groups of young people who perhaps haven’t met each other before.
Get the Elementary Lesson Plan
Get the Secondary Lesson Plan

MICHAEL JOSEPHSON COMMENTARY
Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails
 
When my daughter was confronted with the fact that she had hurt another child with a mean comment, she cried and wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can’t always make things better.

I told her the parable of Will, a nine-year-old whose father abandoned his mom two years earlier. Will was angry, and he often would lash out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!"

Unable to cope with his outbursts, she sent Will to spend the summer with his grandparents. His grandfather’s strategy to help Will learn self control every time he said a mean thing was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a 4x4 board. He couldn’t return until the nail was all the way in.

For a small boy, this was a major task. After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. Eventually, he even apologized for all the bad things he’d said.

That’s when his grandmother came in. She made him bring in the board filled with nails and told him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in. After a huge struggle, he did it.

His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology and, of course, I forgive you because I love you. But I want you to know an apology is like pulling out one of those nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. I know your dad put a hole in you, but please don’t put holes in other people. You`re better than that."
* * *
A fourth-grade teacher recently told me how she tells this story to her class. When she sees a child saying or doing a mean or unkind thing, she says, "Did you put a nail in someone?" Then she’ll ask, "Did you take it out?"

She says her students know what she’s talking about and recognize what they did was wrong, which isn’t always the case if she simply asks the child what happened (that usually results in blaming others).

She also urges her students not to use the automatic "That’s all right" after an apology because usually what was done was not all right and the person saying it, rightfully, doesn’t feel it was all right. Instead, she instructs her class to say "I accept your apology" or "I forgive you."

The teacher uses the story to help her kids understand difficult family matters as well. She tells her students some people will never take out the nails they’ve pounded into them, but everyone has the power to pull them out themselves and get on with their life rather than let others rule them.

She told me, "The story is simple, but the message is powerful -- especially when reinforced with "You’re better than that."

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
www.charactercounts.org      Michael Josephson commentaries