FOR CHARACTER

            creating schools and community for character!

September/October 2002

An electronic newsletter to help you make sure CHARACTER COUNTS!sm 

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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…

·                    American Character Week

·                    Ideas You Can Use

·                    Certificate in Character Education

·                    Using Children’s Literature to Develop Core Values

·                    Upcoming Trainings

American Character Week (ACW)
 September 6-17, 2002

Welcome back to a new school year.  I know many schools have been in session earlier than our first day for students which is August 28.  I was in Pinellas County, Florida a few weeks ago and the students began school there on August 8.  In this issue of the newsletter, I would like to highlight American Character Week by sharing information you can use in order to participate as a school or community.  This week is being coordinated by the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition. 

 

  1. OBJECTIVES. The objective of ACW is to help schools, communities, police and firefighting agencies and others commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in a manner that encourages community service and celebrates the countless acts of courage, compassion and commitment that showed Americans at their best.
  2. STRATEGY. The CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition will coordinate the development and distribution of a wide array of resources and suggested activities to assure that the celebration of American Character Week is positive, constructive and educational. Everything will be posted at http://www.charactercounts.org/acw.htm and will be available for you to download and print at no charge.
  3. FOUR CORE ACTIVITIES. American Character Week is built around the pursuit of four core activities:

·        Discuss and study the lives of Americans of extraordinary character.

·        Recognize local individuals who have in the past year demonstrated the highest qualities of the American character.

·        Teach young people about and encourage them to consider careers in public service.

·        Provide service-learning opportunities to young people, including at least one hour of service during American Character Week as a first step in a commitment to a life of regular community service.

 

  1. THE EXTENDED WEEK. The period of celebration of American Character Week is extended to September 17, to accommodate and take advantage of Constitution Day activities planned by the U.S. Department of Education. Constitution Day activities will include a Pledge Across America, a simultaneous, national recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance led by President George W. Bush at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The event is coordinated by Celebration USA. You can get more information at http://www.celebrationusa.org/nsc.htm.  The period encompasses two Fridays and two Saturdays to provide greater opportunities for weekend community-service projects. The time frame also helps participating high schools to host one home football game during the period, with halftime and/or post-game American Character Week activities.
  2. ENDORSEMENTS AND EVENTS.  Endorsements of American Character Week and announcements of special events can be found at: http://www.charactercounts.org/AmericanCharacterWeek-endorsers.htm). Of particular note is the very enthusiastic support of the U.S. Army, the FBI, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and scores of high-level political leaders.
  3. ARTWORK AND BANNERS.  Dynamic artwork, including an American Character Week logo that can be used on T-shirts, buttons and other promotional items as well as a series of banners and posters, is now available on the web site.  To access these resources, please log in to the "FREE Tools and Resources" section accessible at: http://www.charactercounts.org/acw.htm.

 

ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES.  Now, for the substance, the things you can do.

 

  1. Lesson Plans: 50 full lesson plans and activity ideas for young people (10 for each of five age groups)
  2. Table Tents: color, formatted PDF files with hypothetical scenarios for young people to ponder and discuss
  3. Activity Ideas for Community Groups (separate section for each):

a.      Police Departments

b.      Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services

c.      Parks and Recreation Departments

d.      Service Organizations (Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary Club, etc.)

e.      Local Utility Companies

f.        Hospitals and Convalescent Homes

g.      Local Governments (Cities, Townships, Counties)

h.      Local Businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and Other Business Groups

i.        College and University Clubs, Fraternities and Sororities

j.        Churches, Temples and Other Faith Groups

  1. Library of quotations organized and selected specifically for American Character Week
  2. Service Learning

a.      Youth Service

b.      Eight Critical Elements of Service Learning

c.      Tips for Effective Reflection

d.      Service Learning Ideas and Links

  1. Audio files, downloadable from our FTP site, ftp://ftp.jiethics.org/pub/acw/

                "CHARACTER COUNTS!" song written and performed by Lee Greenwood (mp3)

               "CHARACTER COUNTS!" instrumental only, by Lee Greenwood (mp3)

                "America's Child" song produced by the CC! Coalition (mp3)

                "America's Child" - instrumental only, song produced by the CC! Coalition (mp3)

            Red Skelton talking about the Pledge of Allegiance (wav)

  1. Publicity and Awareness

a.      Sample Public Service Announcement and Press Release

b.      Guidelines for an American Character Week Character Award

c.      Cover letter announcing American Character Week (in both Word and PDF).

d.      Linking Information - an explanation of how to post the ACW logo and/or banner linking another website to the ACW homepage

  1. List of Proclamation Endorsers and Letters.  Make sure your community is represented.  If it is not, please write your local representatives to encourage their formal endorsement of American Character Week.

 

This is a great time to demonstrate our commitment to character. 

 

Gary Smit

(630)827-4400

mailto:gsmit@forcharacter.com

 

IDEAS YOU CAN USE:

 

WEB SITE FOR VIDEOS COMMEMORATING 9/11

Here are two great sites to check out for short video clips that can be played for students, staff or parents commemorating September 11.

http://overtimeacres.com/victims.html

http://www.politicsandprotest.org/

 

FUEL FOR SCHOOLS: THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST IN CHANGING SCHOOLS

Can excellent work be coerced from principals, teachers, and students simply by withholding diplomas, slashing funds, and publishing embarrassing statistics in the newspaper? As states and school districts work at structuring new accountability mechanisms and mandating changes in instruction, they will do well to remember that school people and their relationships to one another will make or break reform. How do teachers relate to each other? How do school professionals interact with parents and community? What are principal-teacher relations like? The answers to such questions are central to determining whether schools can improve.

http://www.edletter.org/current/reform.shtml

 

FEWER STUDENTS SMOKING, DRINKING & USING DRUGS

Drug, alcohol and cigarette use among sixth-to 12th-graders is at the lowest level in years, partly because adults are doing more to keep their kids away from illicit substances, according to a survey. Parents and teachers are warning students about drug use and are encouraging kids to nurture other interests by joining extracurricular school and religious activities. The percentage of students using any illicit drug -- marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and others -- dropped to 22.3 percent, the lowest level registered by the study since the 1993-94 school year. The percentages of high school students who said they drank alcohol, 65 percent, or smoked cigarettes, 36 percent, in the previous 12 months were the lowest in the survey's 15-year history.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/news/news_0n21teendrug.html

 

CERTIFICATE IN CHARACTER EDUCATION

 

As more and more schools across the country begin character education programs, educators need to decide which program to implement, choose curriculum materials, and learn effective ways to integrate character education into school and classroom activities. A series of courses from the University of San Diego's Division of Continuing Education leads to a Certificate in Character Education. The program is designed to meet the needs of P-12 educators interested in enhancing their knowledge and abilities in developing, implementing, maintaining, and assessing character education in schools and communities. The certificate program: (1) is the first of its kind in the nation; and (2) is designed to integrate practical knowledge and current research about moral development, conflict resolution, ethics, values, and citizenship.

 

Educator training in character education is the most important component to enable student learning of values. Three distinct courses, with special projects, are offered that will enable educators to help their students develop positive personal, prosocial, and civic values as they learn subject area concepts and skills. From coming to consensus on which values to teach to effective classroom teaching strategies, educators will learn how to incorporate character education content and processes into classroom and school-wide activities. While the program may be offered on-site at a number of locations, the all three courses can be taken entirely online through http://www.onlinelearning.net/character

http://www.sandiego.edu/continuing_education/ICCE/OnlineCE.htm

 

USING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TO DEVELOP CORE VALUES

By Linda J. Gibbs and Edward J. Earley, PDK Fastback #362

                                                

Literature-Based Instructional Strategies: These strategies utilize reading, discussion and journal writing to foster the development of core values.  Strategies:

·                    Can be used with a minimum of initial training and preparation;

·                    Are supported by research on effective teaching and theories on how value systems are transferred;

·                    Can be used to complement the study of any subject;

·                    Promote internalization of values, rather than superficial understanding.

 

Choosing and Discussing Books or Stories

·                    Connect current readings to character traits when appropriate;

·                    Expect different readers to interpret the same piece of literature in different ways; guide students to draw their conclusions from the evidence;

·                    Provide a variety of ways for students to respond to the literature;

·                    Be a good listener and allow sufficient time for thought and discussion.

 

Journals

Students may be asked to create “free-response” journals by simply responding to literature or through prompts such as sentence starters. The following prompts can be used at any grade level:

·                    If you could choose to be like any character in the story, which one would you choose? Why? What character traits do you admire?

·                    Which character would you want to avoid? What specific behaviors or traits are not displayed?

·                    Which character demonstrated respect (trustworthiness. responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship)? How?

·                    If you had a problem, which character would you turn to for help? Why?

·                    Which character would you like to help? How would you help him or her?

 

Other Classroom Activities

·                    Ask students to choose a respected person, come to class dressed as that person and talk about his or her life. After the presentation, discuss the person in terms of the character traits.

·                    Debate fictional characters’ behavior.

·                    Write letters to characters that applaud or take issue with their behaviors.

 

Partnerships with the Community

·                    Let parents know you care about their children’s development of values and that you want to reinforce what children are learning at home.

·                    Seek parental input.

·                    Discuss character traits at Back-to-School Night and at conferences.

·                    Call parents or write notes with “good news.”

·                    Encourage parents to share observations of their children displaying specific traits.

·                    Encourage parents in monthly newsletter to read values-oriented literature that their children are reading in school.

·                    Have parents volunteer to read in classrooms or to describe someone they admire.

 

UPCOMING TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS:

 

I will be conducting the following trainings or workshops in September and October.  For more information, please contact me.

 

September 11 – Fenton High School Student Leadership Workshop, Bensenville, IL

September 21 – Tri-Town YMCA

September 26 – West Chicago, IL Evening Seminar

September 27 – Wheaton –Warrenville South High School

October 2 – Anderson, IN

October 4 – October 15 – Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. One-day workshop. I’ll be there visiting our son Jason who is doing his student teaching at the International School.

October 19 – CEP Annual Conference – Break-out session, Atlanta, GA

November 1 – Palmyra School District, Palmyra

 

Can I Borrow $100?  - A Michael Josephson Commentary

 

Todd wasn't surprised that his dad didn't make it to the last soccer game of the season. After all, his father was a very important attorney who worked most weekends, and they had talked about it. Todd was ten and he was old enough to understand about priorities. Still, it made him sad.

 

So that night Todd interrupted his father's work to ask him how much lawyers cost. Annoyed, his father said, "Well, people pay me $300 an hour." Todd gasped, and said, "Can I borrow $100?" "Don't be silly" was the answer, and Todd ran to his room.

 

Moments later, the father felt guilty and found his son sobbing. "Son," he said, "I'm sorry I was so impatient. Can I ask why you need $100?" "Well, with the $200 I've saved I'll have enough." "Enough for what?" Todd said proudly, "Daddy, would you  sell me an hour of your time so you can come to the awards banquet on Friday?"

 

Most overworked parents are not uncaring. They're simply stretched to their limit trying to do the best they can to find a proper balance between the insatiable demands of their jobs, the responsibility of earning a living and the emotional needs of their children. The conflict never goes away and it forces us to determine priorities. There are lots of reasons to do otherwise, but if we don't arrange our lives to be there for our children they will regret it—and, after it's too late, so will we.

 

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts  * This story is adapted from one that has circulated on the Internet without attribution. The original source is unknown.