CHARACTER BUILDING

STUDENTS  CHARACTER IN BUILDING

DECEMBER 31, 2004

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Topic: 

Character Education

ASCA School Counselor 2004

Lee Kaiser and Katie Sutliff

Over the past few decades, a quiet revolution has taken place in education. Trends like cooperative learning and buzzwords such as "student-centered instruction" have become part of the lexicon of teaching. They are no longer considered just theories or even innovations. Instead, they are the commonly agreed-upon best practices of the educational world. To borrow from an all-too-frequently-used phrase, the paradigm has shifted.

Now, learning is measured in terms of student progress. Teaching happens when students work together and form partnerships. Classroom communities are intentionally designed. Teachers act as facilitators as they guide students on their educational journeys. Meaning is discovered; ideas, creativity and critical thinking are being nurtured just as the traditional basics of reading, writing and arithmetic always have been.

Character education programs, however, have been slower to tap into this line of thinking. Administrators and teachers, already overtaxed, are putting in countless hours to create interesting and relevant ways to teach character, but faculty and staffs can be intimidated by having one more thing to do and can get frustrated when the process is slow, difficult -- and often draining. Despite their best efforts, administrators, parents and teachers can be left with a sense that the character education initiative isn’t working and wondering, "What can we do to move this process forward?"

Kings Glen Elementary School amended that question to, "What can our students do to move this process forward?" With 550 students in fourth through sixth grades, Kings Glen’s student body comprises youngsters from diverse economical and cultural backgrounds. It is a tight community where uniqueness is valued and celebrated, and the school’s character education program is successful because it is centered on, and evolved from, the most important segment of the school’s population -- the students.

Students in the Lead

Kings Glen’s philosophy about character education is simple: success lies within the child. The strength of the school’s character education program is its student body. All concerned firmly believed that any efforts made toward instilling positive character traits needed to come from the students. Thus, most of the programs at Kings Glen that focus on character education were created by the children, for the children.

This is key. Students are at the heart of the program and have a real deciding voice in developing policies and programs. Jenny Nagy, a sixth-grader at Kings Glen, says, "In other schools, they don’t have this kind of a program. Usually adults do all the work. Sometimes adults don’t know what kids want, but kids know best." Her classmate, Ashley Beveridge, a Character Club member, concurs. "Instead of being told what I need to know, I’m a part of creating and deciding what is important to know and do. Kids usually respond better when it’s their peers’ ideas rather than when it’s an adult’s idea."

The student character club at Kings Glen consists of four teams -- two fifth grade and two sixth grade. Students in the clubs are expected to model and exemplify the traits at all times, and those students are charged with representing their classmates’ voices. Each week, each team meets to brainstorm ideas and develop strategies to meet their goals. The meetings are based on the premise that students know students best, and they are in tune with what will capture their peers’ interest. Team members are keenly aware of what will motivate students to learn and live positive character traits, and they always arrive with energy and creativity. At each meeting, team members are reminded of the club’s vision and mission then begin brainstorming ways to teach, promote and recognize the desired key traits of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. During brainstorming, any and all ideas are welcomed. Next, team members evaluate the pros and cons of each idea, with considerations such as time, funding, available resources and, most importantly, the extent to which the idea furthers the club’s mission.

Once the list of projects is created, it’s prioritized, and responsibilities are assigned. From there, club members return to their classrooms, friends and homes to share ideas and assess reactions. Once the members are confident a particular project will meet the club’s vision and mission, is feasible and will be welcomed and supported by others, the project is readied to be launched, when it is introduced to the entire school community.

Empowering Students

This system works well because the students are motivated to successfully put their own ideas in place, and everyone benefits. As fourth-grade teacher Kathie Smith explains it, "Children inspire children. With inspiration from their peers, students adopt positive behavior more readily." First, the student body benefits because more and more of their number are recognized for doing the right thing, and their families observe more positive development, interactions and decision-making qualities in their children. The school staff has less negative behavior to deal with, and visitors to the school note its welcoming, positive atmosphere. The community at large benefits from the positive and inspiring character development being instilled. Most directly, the character club student participants enjoy meaningful and rewarding experiences, because they have suggested, planned and accomplished their goals and now recognize they actually can make a difference in their school. They successfully affect their peers, their school and their future. At Kings Glen, students aren’t just taught about character development and encouraged to make positive changes in the world, they are empowered to make those changes actually happen.

This process has had a direct impact in several areas at Kings Glen. Initial enthusiasm was engendered with a kickoff pep rally and character education assemblies. Staff development has been affected in that, once the school’s core values were identified and defined, staff training and brainstorming sessions have focused on these character traits. A character climate survey was developed and instituted, and data are routinely collected from the quarterly citizenship progress report marks.

In the classrooms, students participate in class meetings and compliment circles. The students love the circles, and they have had a positive affect on class climate. "I’ve noticed a difference over the years in how my students carry themselves," says Resa Valentine, a sixth-grade teacher. "They are learning positive character development and doing so more effectively because it is coming to them from their fellow students." Fifth-grade teacher Pete Cookson agrees. "You notice the students’ excitement with each new program that the Character Club introduces."

Grade-level projects, quarterly citizenship and study-skills awards, a cafeteria recognition program, a school motto contest, the Random Acts of Kindness board and the Hall of Character are all ways in which positive efforts, people and programs are recognized. The club is particularly proud of the Top Gator Award; its selection committee is made up of both students and teachers and is a specific way to recognize students who embody the school’s values.

Character education at Kings Glen extends beyond the school’s walls and includes the influences of more than just its students and staff. From the start, parents and the community have been included in the effort and on the school plan committee, with the acknowledgment that good character doesn’t end when the dismissal bell rings. An initial character education newsletter, bulletin and certificate were sent home with students, and the PTA and local community have worked with school staff to support character-education efforts through after-school activities. Character Club members marched in the local high school’s homecoming parade, and club members have coordinated efforts with other schools in their pyramid as well.

Measuring Effectiveness

To acknowledge the school’s commitment to the community and to the world in general, the students assembled a book of volunteer opportunities and created a schoolwide volunteer program. They’ve also conducted a great deal of service work: carrying out a holiday food drive, supporting a clothing drive, writing letters for the Military Mail Program, collecting Pennies for the Pentagon, supporting Hoops for Heart and the Walk for the Homeless. In turn, local businesses have demonstrated their support by donating merchandise as recognition for those students who display good character.

Kings Glen has developed some concrete strategies to measure the program’s effectiveness. Over the course of a year, staff members administer and analyze the character climate survey; collect and analyze detention data, alternative instructional assignments and suspension data; and carefully examine the citizenship portion of progress report data. All of these factors help the committees recognize what is working, what needs to be improved and what the tentative next steps should be. Just as teachers do with their curricula, character committee members recognize that all of those involved -- teachers, students and administrators -- must be reflective practitioners who are constantly refining the process, determining needs and finding ways to meet them. It is also important to keep in mind, as well, that character education is an ongoing process of development and thus will never really end.

Because the primary players in the effort are a changing and growing -- literally -- group of students, it follows that the process does not remain static. Students’ creativity and motivation produces a constant flow of ideas in an ongoing process. Club members are learning life skills, and they come to understand how organizations develop and execute action plans. They learn to work and care for others, respect and appreciate differences and follow through on their responsibilities. In turn, the staff members benefit because they realize the Kings Glen students are doing the work, not the teachers, school counselors or administrator, who can too often be overworked, overwhelmed and overcommitted.              

 "The children have internalized the meaning of character education because they are so involved in its development and it is infused in all they encounter here," says Jim Baldwin, Kings Glen principal. "Whether it is in the cafeteria or in class, some element of the character traits they helped us to focus upon are in evidence."

The current goals of the Kings Glen character development participants include expansion of student involvement, more parental assistance with the Character Club, increased participation by community businesses and organizations and -- the ultimate goal -- 100 percent of the Kings Glen students demonstrating positive character traits. Read More....