FOR CHARACTER
creating schools and communities of character
                                                                                                                                       November/December 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…
Take A Minute For Character
Information You Can Use
Free Lesson Plans Build Racial Understanding
Creating Safe Schools is Everybody's Business
Free Teacher Resources
Lesson Plan
Commentary by Michael Josephson

TAKE A MINUTE FOR CHARACTER

I’m often asked at the conclusion of a training session, “What can be done to increase awareness about character education and how can it be integrated into the life of our school?”  I respond by saying that we need to move from incidental to intentional methods of teaching about character. Here are three strategies that can be implemented with minimal effort.

• Understand that character education is an integral part of the curriculum at all grade level. Encourage teachers to “mine” the academic curriculum for its character-building potential by  looking at their subject matter and asking, "What are the natural intersections between the curriculum I have to cover and the values I wish to foster?"
• Have a school staff tell stories of where they have seen character in action.  A number of schools now begin every faculty meeting by sharing a story of character.  In schools, we readily know when students are in trouble or when ethical values have been violated.  But do we let others know of the times when students make good choices? Everyday in schools, students choose to put the core values of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship above non-ethical values.  Choices are made to be honest instead of dishonest, respectful and not disrespectful, responsible rather than being irresponsible.  Take time to let others know about the good choices students make.
• Host 3-4 sharing sessions on character education during the school year.  Have teacher representatives from each school get together to share their ideas and activities on how character education is being integrated into their class or school.  Providing an opportunity for teachers to meet and talk about what they are doing is an effective strategy to use in considering how to expand a character education initiative.  By taking notes of the sharing sessions and distributing copies to other schools, you will soon develop a listing of best practices that will be of help to teachers.

I hope you will find the information included in this newsletter to be useful in making sure character counts.  Again, please do not hesitate to contact me or to check out the web site, www.forcharacter.com for additional ideas and strategies.

Gary Smit
gsmit@forcharacter.com

INFORMATION YOU CAN USE

• THE ASSUMPTIONS WE MAKE ABOUT DIVERSITY IN SCHOOLS - Diversity in schools is not always visible, but it is always present. Just because your students appear relatively homogenous does not mean your class is not diverse. The latest issue of "Thriving in Academe" says that from gender and religion to social class and family background, all aspects of inclusion should be acknowledged and are integral to student learning. It’s all too easy to slip into the bad habit of making assumptions based on outward appearance. Students are diverse in more ways than we will probably ever know, but starting with the assumption of great diversity opens our classrooms up to exciting and constantly changing possibilities. One reason many teachers avoid talking about diversity is the idea that teaching "values" is not our job. But in reality, value-free teaching does not exist. http://www2.nea.org/he/advo-new/feature.html

• GENERATION Y TEACHERS QUESTION THE MORIBUND EDUCATION CLIMATE - Generation Y teachers are clamoring for creative freedom, the power to make a difference, professional opportunities to grow, rewards for a job well done and an end to one-size-fits-all instruction, according to a survey of 865 first year teachers. Teaching is a labor of love, and that will not change for the next generation of educators as 79 percent of them would choose more supportive administrators over significant salary increases. The survey also finds that of the 16 percent of teachers who plan to leave the profession within the next five years, 54 percent came from schools of education and currently serve high-needs schools. When looking at alternatively trained teachers, 79 percent in high-needs schools said that the lack of administrative support is a drawback. Of this group, only 16 percent see teaching as a lifelong career, but another 48 percent anticipate staying in the education field in some capacity. To improve teacher quality, 90 percent of Generation Y teachers say their needs to be more professional learning opportunities and particularly better preparation to meet the needs of a diverse classroom. As teacher candidate pools dwindle, it becomes increasingly important to take the advice of those drawn to the profession. http://www.ncctq.org/publications/NCCTQBiennialReport.php

• BUILD YOUR OWN  MODEL CITIZEN - No one is likely to doubt that if children spend time in development programs like 4-H and Boy and Girl Scouts, they are more likely to become contributing members of their community. The national longitudinal study released by the National 4-H Council finds that when communities, families and schools provide youths access to development programs and opportunities for adult interaction and mentoring, youths succeed. Further, involvement in youth development programs reduces the likelihood that young people will engage in risk behaviors, and the more that youths are involved in high-quality programs, the more they and their communities benefit. Here’s a formula for growing model citizens: establish good public schools and add quality youth development programs. http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/newsroom.aspx

• SCHOOL VIOLENCE IS COMMUNITY VIOLENCE IN DISGUISE - It is far better to win the loyalty and harness the collective power of students than to increase the amount of Tasers and metal detectors, according to Dr. Stephen Sroka, a retired Cleveland public schools educator. In this culture, he says, schools are criticized despite offering students the "safest place they will be all day," as schools cannot avoid the problems students bring in from the outside, reports Charles Lussier in the Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate. Sroka says that "people call it school violence. There is no school violence. There is community violence that takes place in schools." Schools can still help curb the violence through educators forging more personal connections with children and getting them help for the many issues they face. Even small gestures pay dividends -- Sroka said a former student thanked him for simply saying ‘hi’ to him every day, a courtesy no one else extended. Students, oftentimes a bundle of confused emotions and feelings, require personal connections. "In the end, only kindness matters," Sroka says. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/10517107.html-showAll=y&c=y

FREE LESSON PLANS BUILD RACIAL UNDERSTANDING

A set of four lesson plans on race and diversity can now be downloaded by educators at no cost. Designed for high school teachers, and suitable for youth leaders in non-school settings, the lessons are designed to promote greater understanding of differences among high school students. The activities in the four lessons have been tested with high school students in Chicago and have been found to open up constructive dialogue among students. Teachers have reported that the activities encourage students to recognize and respect differences in the classroom and also promote a sense of community in their classes. Each of the lessons is completely self-contained and can usually be completed during a 45-minute class period. One whole-class activity causes students to examine issues of identity and then commit to making personal changes in behavior. Another lesson utilizes personal stories to reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday and on Americans’ acceptance of difference. In a third, students explore the meanings of "race" and "racism" and consider how they might personally work to overcome their own biases. The final unit enhances a sense of community in a classroom and promotes a broader sense of community outside of school.  http://www.racebridges.net/schools?mw1

CREATING SAFE SCHOOLS IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS

Bullying in schools is a long-standing, widespread problem, yet parents and school leaders often overlook the harassment occurring in their own communities. Many adults imagine bullying to be the noticeable intimidation of a child by a physically more powerful peer. While such harassment certainly occurs, the overwhelming majority of bullying involves a variety of behaviors that are not physical in nature, such as gossiping, spreading rumors, and name-calling. These anti-social behaviors are often dismissed as a normal part of growing up by many adults, but they have highly detrimental effects on students’ well-being and academic performance. To learn how to create a more respectful and healthy school culture, the adults in childrens’ lives must understand what contemporary student harassment looks like. The popular image of the physically more powerful child beating up a weaker peer makes identifying a "bully" and a "victim" seem easy. While some youth may be seen as more aggressive and hostile than others, both research and conversations with students show that nearly all students have had experiences bullying and being bullied. A child who is visibly teased, for example, also may be spreading rumors and hurting other students. Realizing this, schools are moving away from "zero-tolerance" policies of identifying "bullies" and removing them from the classroom. Instead, many school leaders have begun focusing on the way their school environment can encourage respectful behaviors among all students. Even when an actual act of bullying is addressed, write Ryan Schwartz and Debra Chasnoff, in PTA’s Our Children magazine, the underlying factors that lead to negative behavior are rarely acknowledged. Children in all grade levels use difference as a reason to discriminate, exclude, and make fun of their peers. Perceived distinctions based on race, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, body type, and physical or mental abilities are the main foundation for harassment, especially in middle school. http://www.pta.org/pr_magazine_article_details_1187297022546.html

FREE TEACHER RESOURCES

Free Paint for Non-Profits!
Is a group in your community planning on painting a mural of the Six Pillars of Character? Does a local after-school group need spruced-up interiors? Finding volunteers to help with the work can be easy, but finding the financial resources to buy the paint can be a real headache.  The National Council on Paint Disposition, Inc. (NCPD), is a not-for-profit environmental organization which can connect non-profit groups with local retailers looking to dispose of unsold paint.
Each year, millions of gallons of pain remain unused or unsold by retailers as a result of mis-tinting or discontinuation of a product. The unsold paint and paint containers often end up in landfills, and the cost of disposal is high. By registering for the free paint program you can help reduce environmental damage at the same time as brightening your own environment – at no cost! You can register your non-profit group at the following website to receive a list of the participating retailers in your area. https://www.paintrecycling.org/register.php

LESSON PLAN
Character in the Curriculum
Tips
Foundations for Life program offers free writing prompts, lesson plans, and cross-curricular connections based on character-related maxims that complement your existing programs. Learn more about Foundations for Life at www.FFL-essays.org.

Activity "Giving of One’s Self for the Benefit of Others"
Pillars – Caring, Citizenship

Use The Book of Virtues for Young People by William J. Bennett.
Activity
1) Discussion of character traits and how they relate to all people.
2) Completion a Word Web focusing on words or phrases that relate caring. Consider the attributes associated with the pillar of caring.  This may be completed as a whole class activity or in cooperative groups.
3) Read aloud "The Angel of the Battlefield" by Joanna Strong and Tom B. Leonard, pages 58-61.
4) Discussion of selection on how Clara Barton exhibited the traits of kindness/caring.

Questions
1) How did Clara Barton display the pillar of caring?
2) What do you admire most about Clara Barton?
3) Why do you think Clara Barton was such a caring person?

Activities
1) Write a letter to the President of the United States stating why the International Red Cross should be supported.
2) Search the Internet for additional information on the Red Cross.

COMMENTARY BY MICHAEL JOSEPHSON

Using All Your Strength 
A young boy was walking with his father along a country road. When they came across a very large tree branch, the boy asked, "Do you think I could move that?" His father answered, "If you use all your strength, I’m sure you can." The boy tried mightily to lift, pull, and push the branch, but he couldn’t budge it. Discouraged, he said, "Dad, you were wrong. I can’t do it." His dad said, "Try again."

This time, as the boy struggled with the task, his father joined him. Together they pushed the branch aside. "Son," the father said, "the first time you didn’t use all your strength. You didn’t ask me to help."

This is an important lesson. There are many things we can’t do alone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get them done. We’re all surrounded by resources that can be mobilized to help us achieve our goals including family, friends, and faith. Sometimes we fail to ask for help because of pride or stubbornness. Sometimes we think it’s a sign of weakness to admit we need a hand. And sometimes we don’t even think about asking for help. Whatever the reason, it’s a waste.

It’s important that we learn to use all our strength. This includes inner resources such as discipline, courage, and even love. It also includes outer resources. Just as we should be willing to help others, we should be willing to ask the help of others. It’s one of the great things about being human.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
*This is derived from a story by David Wolpe in Teaching Your Children About God (Harper Perennial, 1995).