CHARACTER EDUCATION for

1. CHARACTER EDUCATIONfor EVERYONE By Lisa Emendorfer & Rea Kirk Presented: National Middle School Association Nov 2007

2. Scientific discoveries and societal realities will force difficult choices.

3. World poverty and unequal distribution of resources Violations of basic human rights Production, distribution, and control of weapons Trade in illicit drugs Genetic engineering and cloning Dealing with crime and corruption Cheating at all levels. Ensuring all students have equal educational opportunities The choices we make will profoundly affect the future

4. Some values are essential to sustaining a democratic society.

5. What are the implications of all of this? If we do not train kids today, to have good character and to make ethical decisions tomorrow - our future and their future is in question.

6. How should NMSA members respond to these challenges? • First, we must ask ourselves: what are the characteristics of an ethical culture? • Second, how do I, as a NMSA member, impact that ethical culture?

7. • An awareness of ethics -NMSA members are sensitive to the ethical implications of their own policies and practices as well as those of school and society. Ex. Child protection policies and classroom discipline practices. • We must accept responsibility for our actions, both individually and collectively. • Ethical schools as ethical communities. -People within care about each others’ well-being and seek to promote that well-being. -Ethics are seen as something positive and they should be consciously promoted.

8. Ethics training and education for NMSA members. Awareness of your personal code of ethics. The process of getting there is vital to everyone having ownership. Character education for the students. -Make it a habit to; - be a giver not a taker - be honest in all things -work hard, develop and maintain a good attitude -learn, laugh How do NMSA members begin to make this a reality and not just a vision?

9. Character Education for Students:How do we make this happen in our classrooms and society as a whole? • Lead by example, particularly in relations with students and other members of the community. -They should be characterized by respect, trust and consideration. • Develop your own and expect from others an attitude of excellence.

10. Attitude: How you respond to circumstances and/or events. Stanford Study: Success 8 % Innate Ability 92 % Attitude. Harvard Study: Getting a Job, Keeping a Job and Moving up in a Job is: 85 % Attitude 15 % Technical Skills Changing Lives Character Curriculum

11. How do we develop our own attitude and teach it to others? • Strive to be positive in all that you do, and let others see you being positive! • Know others by name, expect others to address each other by their given name, rather than “Dude” or nicknames • Expect others to word things in a positive manner. EX. Of Poor attitude “Mrs. E why do we HAVE TO do this assignment?”

12. Develop and Teach Attitude Cont. Example of Positive Attitude “Mrs. E could you explain to me why you have given me the opportunity to do this assignment?” Same Question, different attitude CONSISTENTLY ENFORCE THIS RULE!!

13. Greet others with enthusiasm Everyone is unique, find the positive, even if you have to work hard to find it. Respond to people, don’t react to them. Feed their minds; and your own. POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE and more POSITIVE Changing attitude continued…

14. It takes eleven positive stimulus to erase the effects of one negative stimuli. By the age of 18, the average person has had 148,000 negative stimuli. That means we need 1.6 million positive stimuli just to balance out the negative stimuli. BE POSITIVE

15. • RESPECT a lost art? “Treat everyone like they are an MVP” Coach Carter

16. You may have heard or said “I’ll give respect when it is given to me.” • Respect must be earned! We earn respect by doing a job, activity etc.. well. We earn respect by being honest, consistent, fair. These are the easy ways to earn respect.

17. * We earn respect by treating others with respect! • In life or in the classroom this can be done by: • Respecting others’ comments, opinions, and ideas. • Verbally valuing someone else's opinion, even while disagreeing. Teach students that it is o.k. to disagree, but not o.k. to disrespect someone because of a comment, opinion or idea. These are learned behaviors, that become life habits!

18. Some NMSA members might say, I can’t teach attitude and respect; that’s not my job; I don’t have time for that silly stuff, their parents should be teaching that. I say to those NMSA members “Can you afford to help a child with his self image? Do you have time for that?” That is your job, it is the job of every educational professional.

19. How to Teach a Good Self-Image in 5 easy steps • Change the child’s beliefs in how they see themselves. • Teach them to be grateful. Gratitude is the healthiest emotion. • Teach them how to FINISH Something • Give the child YOUR TIME it is the greatest gift you can give • Expand their vocabulary

20. Change the children’s beliefs in how they see themselves. • It takes eleven positive stimulus to erase the effects of one negative stimuli. • By the age of 18, the average person has had 148,000 negative stimuli. • That means we need 1.6 million positive stimuli justtobalance out the negative stimuli • WHAT WILL YOU BE? • Will you be one of the 148,000 negative stimuli or one of 1.6 million to feed that child's belief in themselves?

21. BE POSITIVE GIVE PRAISE ACKNOWLEDGE others by name TAKE TIME to know the individual ATTEND an event important to the other person BE AVAILABLE to others SPEAK TO, not at, others LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN BE CONSISTENT! How can you be a positive force?

22. Teach yourself and others to be grateful. Gratitude is the healthiest emotion. “Don’t complain because you don’t have…. Enjoy what you have got.” H. Stanley Judd

23. DAILY GRATITUDES THINK about what we do have and develop an attitude of THANKFULNESS. COMPLAINER DAY ENFORCE “please” and “thank you.” Write thank you notes. One minute drill Teach yourself and others to be GRATEFUL

24. Know how to FINISH Something “There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks.” David Lloyd George

25. Enforce due dates. The Finish Banner Discuss why it is important to do your best to finish Peer Pressure Set others up for success, not failure Plan ahead Network with other NMSA members How to create a culture of finishers.

26. Losers: ~ They kill time ~They waste time ~They lose time ~They let time slip away ~They take time for granted. ~ They can’t find time Winners: ~They use time ~They spend time wisely ~They value time ~They organize their time ~They treasure time ~THEY MAKE TIME Give others YOUR TIME; it is the greatest gift you can give

27. Let students call you at home for help ….once. Take time to listen Take time to visit Keep track of your time to inventory how it is spent. Teach students to plan their day; plan yours. Make appointments with students and keep them. Demonstrate how to break large tasks into small more manageable tasks “Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste your time is to waste your life, but to master your time is to master your life and make the most of it.” Alan Lakein

28. Word of the week Speak and write in complete sentences Provide a nutritional mental diet Journal around the word of the week. DO NOT allow slang Enforce enunciation BE consistent Acknowledge the use of words that are beyond what is typical. Expand your Vocabulary

29. Today, I have not provided you with new or innovative methods to teach character. I have provided you with the knowledge that you can teach character every day in your classroom and community. Is it your job? Does it make your job easier? Will you do the job?

30. Will the principles we strive to teach, carry over as the “kids” become adults?

31. Did you notice that part of the formula for ethics and character education was HABIT?

32. “Our habits are who we are. We are creatures of habit. The key, then is in developing good habits, and then let them go to work for you. Do good things over and over, and they become a habit.” By Hal Urban

33. Recommended Reading • Life’s Greatest Lessons Hal Urban • The Essential 55 Ron Clark • Changing Lives, Character Curriculum http://www.coachingtochangelives.com/ Also available in the UW-Platteville IML!!!