SDCOE ChaRACTER EDUCATION Presentation:

1. SDCOE ChaRACTER EDUCATION Presentation: Learning for Living

2. Agenda: • What is Character? Why does it matter to my school or program? • How can Character Education help? • Vista High School Model • Implementation: How do we do this? • Creating an action plan • Question/Answer session

3. ObjectiveS: • *Identify why Character matters to your school or program. • *Leave with an action plan for Character integration into your program.

4. Sources: • *Character Counts/Josephson Institute of Ethics • *Dr. Thomas Lickona • *Dr. David Brooks

5. The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. What is Character? • What a person is like on the inside, how he/she responds to life. • Good character refers to positive, admirable ethical traits (i.e. respect, trustworthiness, caring, etc.) • Everyone has character, but not everyone has good character.(Mother Teresa vs. Hitler)

7. Character is our profile of habits and virtues, our habitual way of behaving and responding to life.

8. “ • “Character is Power!” • -Booker T. Washington

9. CHARACTER AND REPUTATION • Our reputation is what other people think we are. • Our character is what we really are.

10. What does good character look like? • True character is shown by: • Our normal and consistent attitudes and behavior • How we treat people who can’t help or hurt us • CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY HOW YOU BEHAVE WHEN YOU THINK NO ONE’S LOOKING!

11. Why is character an issue for your program or school????? • What is the problem at schools today???

12. Teens and Ethics Today (From the Josephson Institute’s 2008 National ethics survey • 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year. • More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. • A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, in 2006. • Despite these high levels of dishonesty, 93 percent said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character and 77 percent said that when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.

13. How can character education help??? • *Help create a safe, caring, and inclusive learning environment. • *Supports academic development. • *Fosters qualities that enable students to be successful as citizens, in the workplace, in relationships, and with academic curriculum. • *The common denominator that helps students be successful in all school-wide goals. • *Character Education is not an “extra” on your plate. It IS the plate!

14. At all levels, students who have experienced quality character education outperform comparison groups, not only on measures of social behavior, but also on measures of academic performance. • -Journal of Research in Character Education (2003)

15. “The goal in life is to make the effort to do the best you are capable of doing—in marriage, at your job, in your community, for your country.” • -John Wooden

16. Common Language is critical! • Six Pillars of Character from Character Counts! • *Trustworthiness • *Respect • *Responsibility • *Fairness • *Caring • *Citizenship • Non-controversial, agreeable across religious, political, cultural, socio-economic lines.

17. Six Pillars of character poster walk • What you want to see more of in your program/on your campus??? Also, see Pg. 82.

18. Vista High School model: • 1) Infuse Character throughout the campus community: • Comprehensive and passionate integration. • Staff must walk the walk of good character • Based on developing relationships • “Change Yourself, Change the World!” • Self-empowerment: recognizing your potential to make positive change (starfish story) • Administration (District and site) • Teachers • Students • Parents (PTSA) • Classified (Custodians, aides, secretaries, cafeteria staff, security, etc.) • After-school program • Sports • Arts • Campus news (KVHS)

19. Character leaders class • Partial list of activities: • Character practice: • Self-reflection journals • Gratitude Journals, Random Acts of Kindness, • Consistent opportunities to serve • Senior Center visits, mentoring with • MS/Elem Schools, Severely disabled students, • Welcoming new students, invisible students. • Read autobiographies/books that inspire. • Conflict resolution skills • Anti-bullying activities (Safe School Ambassadors) • School recycling program, EMM, KVHS, etc. • Tutoring/mentoring ELD and Special Ed. Students/ • 9/11 memorial • Holiday adoption of military family • Humane Society Drive • Canned Food Drive • Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Campaign • …

20. In search of character video series on kvhs

21. 2) Be visible!  • Signage (every room, quad, marquee, KVHS, website, positive panther cards, shirts, referrals, etc.).

22. 3) Seamless integration into campus/curriculum • *Character IS the plate, not an add-on. • English (character analysis, character quick-writes, ethical essay contest, etc.) • Social Science (analyze historical events through character filter, human rights, etc.) • Science (ethical decision making framework for science, cloning, genetic engineering debate, etc.) • Math (word problems that involve character, fudging numbers and its implication, etc.) • Art (character murals, Character-themed projects, service opportunities). • Music (multi-cultural music, performance at charity events, for senior citizens, etc.) • Drama (Tolerance/character themed plays) • After-school program (see following) • Sports/PE (Good sportsmanship, Pursuing Victory With Honor program). • ROP Technology (CC poster contest, “Caught With Character” cell phone photo contest.

23. School-wide recycling program/clean campus crew.

24. 4) Highlight Role models/heroes • On and off campus • Adults must walk the walk of good character • Essential to develop relationships with students built on trust and caring • Community • Historical/current day (e.g. Martin Luther King, Jr. , Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Abraham Lincoln, Bono, Oprah, Jane Goodall, etc.)

25. “If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” • -Mother Teresa

26. You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It's very real. It's very strong. • -Bono

27. “Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.” • -Cesar Chavez

28. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world!” • Mohandes Gandhi

29. 5) Give students many opportunities to do good, pracTice good character • Service Learning critical for this “service generation.” • Connect students to areas of need/issues they are passionate about (key to longevity) • Make service, on and off campus, the norm • In and off campus, on and off the court/field of sports

30. California Coastal Clean-up

31. CAMPUS Humane Society drive: video promo

32. American Cancer Society Relay for Life

33. Service Learning Fair: Internship with catholic charities

34. Service Learning fair: volunteer at hospitals, visiting seniors and ill children

35. Spay-Neuter Action Project

36. WORLD AIDS DAY

37. 6) Support tolerance, diversity based on respect • Breaking Down the Walls • Safe School Ambassadors • TKF Anti-Violence/Anti-gang Assembly • Holocaust survivor presentation • Multi-Cultural dance/music Assembly • Healthy choices Assembly

38. Breaking down the walls week

39. Ropes course team building

40. Mix it up day

41. Yellow ribbon youth suicide prevention program

42. 7) Develop Community Connections • District/Community PLC (City, YMCA, non-profit groups, other schools, health groups, service organizations, etc.) • Internships • Volunteer opportunities • Donations for prizes, advertisement, etc.

43. Walk for vista’s winter shelter

44. North County Canine companions

45. 8) Reward and recognize good character • Panther of the Month Good Character Awards • Pursuing Victory With Honor Good Sportsmanship Award • Student of the Year Awards • KVHS • Positive Panther cards • Pop Tart Patrol • Character Bucks

46. Student of the year awards: rewarding good character

47. Pursuing victory with honor good sportsmanship award

48. Implementation: How do we do this??? • Putting your team together • Needs assessment/school climate • Training/consultation/resources • Creating a vision/plan for your school/touchstone • Involving ALL school stakeholders (gentle start-no pressure). Create buy-in. • Lesson integration (seamless) • Evaluating program • Maintenance/accelerating momentum

49. Teaching good character • Good character education must be direct and explicit. What you allow you condone. • School staff must model character—have actions match words. • Based on trusting, caring relationships. • Staff must see their students’ character development as their professional responsibility. • Must engage students on how things ought to be, as opposed to how they are. • Connect students to service, helping them grow empathy by getting involved in the world. • Expect high ethical standards in your classroom. • Provides students opportunities to practice good character (service, etc.) • Model and teach students how to make ethical decisions.

50. After school programs • What do you already have in place that is a natural fit for Character Education? • What can you add to your program that supports character development? • Service clubs