The goal:

Education Based--Community Embraced

For information on training opportunities, please contact the Josephson Institute of Ethics at 1-800-711-2670 or check out the following link:

CHARACTER COUNTS! TRAINING SEMINARS

The Josephson Institute and its CHARACTER COUNTS! project conduct training seminars throughout the country. Perhaps the best way to bring CHARACTER COUNTS! to your school and community is to attend a Character Development Seminar (CDS). A CDS is an intensive, three-day class that prepares and certifies individuals to return home and train colleagues. Also available: one-day introductory awareness programs, in-service training, advanced seminars for CDS graduates and sportsmanship training for coaches and sports officials.

Character Development Seminars (CDS) are three-day CHARACTER COUNTS! courses that prepare teachers, youth leaders and other youth-influencing adults to teach principled reasoning and ethical decision-making based on the Six Pillars. CDS graduates work with each other as a team to help youth in a single community.

Training Goals

Whether the CDS is hosted by a community or is an open-enrollment session, attendees leave the program with:

  • A solid understanding of how the values represented by the Six Pillars of Character are manifest in the lives of children, and the adults who teach them.
  • Realistic strategies for teaching and reinforcing these values. Teachers should see how character education enhances, and needn’t take time away from, substantive course work.
  • An understanding of the obstacles to introducing an aggressive character development program to a community — how to deal with apathy, skepticism, hostility, and political and religious concerns.

New Training Opportunity

Advanced Character Development Seminars. These intensive, two-day workshops delve deeply into issues of sustainability, evaluation and more. They are for CDS graduates only, and they are taught by the most experienced CHARACTER COUNTS! national faculty. Step up to the next level: attend an Advanced Character Development Seminar.

Topics covered:

  • Best practices from model programs across the country

  • New models of community implementation and sustainability

  • Strategic planning

  • Overcoming obstacles to success

  • Strategies for at-risk youth

  • Guidelines for evaluation of effectiveness

  • Grant writing and fundraising

 

Pursuing Victory With Honor –

Ethics in Sports Seminars

 

IDEAL FOR: coaches, athletic directors, counselors, sports officials and administrators

TRAINING EMPHASIZES:

  • how to build character through coaching

  • the ethical aspects of sport and sportsmanship

  • practical decision-making techniques

  • professional responsibilities of coaching

A great way to begin or expand your initiative

One Day Training Workshops or Inservice Programs available from CHARACTER COUNTS!

  • Introduction to Character Education – can be adapted for school or community.

  • Moving Character Education From Words to Action – an advanced workshop that provides specific instructional strategies for teachers to use in implementing a character education initiative.

  • Being a Leader in Character Education – used as an administrative leadership workshop for central office and school administrators.

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  • Support Staff and Their Role in Character Education – training for non-certified staff i.e. bus drivers, clerical, lunchroom.

  • Student Leadership – training middle school or high school students to be leaders in bring character education to a school.

  • Workplace Ethics – training for employees on ethical decision-making.

  • Building a Community Coalition—assistance is provided on the steps a community can take to build a community coalition supporting character education.

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    Training opportunities are also available in Illinois from the Lincoln Center for Character Development. For more information, you can contact the Lincoln Center.

    Testimonials

    “This was the best inservice experience I’ve had in my 32 years as a classroom teacher.” -Tracy, CA

     

    “I loved the program and the way the day was structured – I’m energized!” - Fostoria, OH

     

    “The speaker was really great, professional and knowledgeable” – Los Angeles, CA

     

    “A life-changing experience for me as a teacher.” – St. Mary’s County, MD

     

    “Our community can now get on board in making our community better.” – Barrington, IL

     

    "Dr. Smit is extremely enthusiastic and effective when it comes to sharing with teachers the integration of character education into the life of a school.  Next to Tom Lickona, he was the best here. I was lucky to hear him speak." - CEP Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA

     

    "This was by far the best institute day I've ever attended. Gary used practical strategies to make character education come alive for me as a classroom teacher." - Martinsville, IN

     

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    Where I’ve been since 2000

     

    School District Inservices

     

    Yorkville Community School District 115, Yorkville, IL

    Barrington Unit School District 220, Barrington, IL

    Libertyville School District 70, Libertyville, IL

    Arlington Heights School District 23, Arlington Heights, IL

    Henry School District, Henry, IL

    Glenview School District 34, Glenview, IL

    Darien Center Cass School District 66, Darien, IL

    North Shore School District 112, Highland Park, IL

    Elk Grove School District 59, Elk Grove, IL

    Oswego School District, Oswego, IL

    Winfield School District 34, Winfield, IL

    Addison School District 4, Addison, IL

    Minooka School District, Minooka, IL

    Lyons School District 103, Lyons, IL

    Princeville School District, Princeville, IL

    Inola School District, Inola, OK

    St. Cloud Schools and Community, St. Cloud, MN

    Palmyra School District, Palmyra, NJ

    Martinsville School Corporation, Martinsville, IN

    Oak Grove School District, Libertyville, IL

    Tri-County School District, Wolcott, IN

     

    Multiple Presentations – School District/Community

     

    Batavia Community Unit School District 101, Batavia, IL

    Barrington Unit School District 220, Barrington, IL

    Bolingbrook, IL

    Elgin School District U-46, Bartlett, IL

    Addison School District 4, Addison, IL

    Wood Dale School District 7, Wood Dale, IL

    Bensenville School District 2, Bensenville, IL

    Broadview, IL

    Round Lake C.U.S.D. 116, Round Lake,  IL

    C.C.S.D. 93, Carol Stream, IL

    Clinton Community School District, Clinton, IA

    Aspen School District, Aspen, CO

    Beloit, WI

    Tracy Unified School District, Tracy, CA

    Fostoria Public Schools, Fostoria, OH

    St. Mary’s County School District, Leonardtown, MD

    Henry School District, Henry, IL

    Oak Grove School, Libertyville, IL

     

    School Inservices Since 2000

     

    Madison School, Wheaton, IL

    Yorkville Middle School, Yorkville, IL

    Mead Jr. High School, Schaumburg, IL

    Keller Jr. High School, Schaumburg, IL

    Hoffman School, Glenview, IL

    Batavia Middle School, Batavia, IL

    Lindop School, Broadview, IL

    Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, IL

    Kimball Middle School, Elgin, IL

    Hoover Elementary School, Schaumburg, IL

    Fenton High School, Bensenville, IL

    Bolingbrook High School, Bolingbrook, IL

    Wheaton Warrenville South High School, Wheaton, IL

    Oswego, IL

    Aspen Elementary School, Aspen CO

    Tracy High School, Tracy, CA

    Aspen High School, Aspen, CO

    Romeoville High School, IL

    St. Michael School, Wheaton, IL

    Alexandria High School, Alexandria, IN

    St. Michael School, Wheaton, IL

    Northrup High School, Ft. Wayne, IN

    Brentwood Elementary, Victorville, CA

     

    Community Presentations

     

    Breaking Free, Aurora, IL

    Downers Grove, IL

    Barrington, IL

    Bloomingdale, IL

    YMCA, Ottawa, IL

    University of Illinois Extension Service, Bloomington, IL

    Glen Ellyn, IL

    Olney, IL

    Cary, IL

    Chicago Heights- Flossmoor, IL

    Anderson University, Anderson, IN

     

    Three-Day Character Development Seminars – Josephson Institute

     

    Nashville, TN

    Anaheim, CA

    Downers Grove, IL

    Des Moines, IA

    Los Angeles, CA

    Fresno, CA

    Lennox, CA

     

    Two-Day Character Development Seminars – Josephson Institute

     

    Downers Grove, IL

    Dallas, TX

    Los Angeles, CA - US Army

    Arlington, VA - US Army

    Heidelberg, Germany - US Army

    Indianapolis, IN

    Las Cruces, NM

     

    Not-for-Profit Organizations, Governmental Entities

     

    Lincoln Challenge Program, Rantoul, IL

    DuPage County Health Department, Wheaton, IL

    Illinois Resource Center, Chicago, IL

    National Guard Challenge, Phoenix, AZ

    Bolingbrook Park District, Bolingbrook, IL

    Ethics for School Board Members & Administrators, Visalia, CA

     

     

    State or National Conferences

    Lake/McHenry County IASCD, Gurnee, IL 2001

    Illinois Association of School Boards, Chicago, IL  2001, 2002, 2003

    Southeast Regional Character Ed Conference, Chattanooga, TN – 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

    Midwest Regional Character Education Conference, 2005

    Southwest Regional Character Ed Conference, Dallas, TX - 2004, 2005

    National School Boards Association, New Orleans, LA – 2002, 2004

    Youth-At-Risk Conference, Savannah, GA – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005

    Character Education Partnership Conference, Philadelphia, PA - 2000, Denver, CO – 2001, Atlanta, GA – 2002, Arlington, VA - 2003

    Alternatives to Suspension, Orlando, FL - 2002, 2003, 2005

    Cooperating School Districts – St. Louis, MO – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

    Kentucky Safe Schools Conference- Louisville, KY - 2003, 2004

    Anderson University, 2004