by Lara Maupin, Director SSOC/NSOC

Kristen Pelster, Principal at Ridgewood Middle School in Missouri

Joe Mazzola and I attended the Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools annual conference this week. We were quite pleased to see the Department’s emphasis on how school climate can enhance the conditions for learning reflected in the selection of keynote speakers and workshops. Researchers and practitioners shared how improving school climate can improve academic achievement and reduce bullying.

We were especially thrilled that the Department asked dynamic principal Kristen Pelster of Ridgewood Middle School in Missouri to be the kickoff keynote speaker. Kristen told her school’s powerful story of transformation from the worst school in the district to National School of Character. How did they do it? Character education! By holding kids to high expectations and giving them the support they needed to meet those expectations, Ridgewood culture began to change. Over time, Kristen was able to empower her teachers and students. Without changing anything about how they taught academics, Ridgewood students improved academically. Of course, this is a story we know well at CEP. We see it repeated time and time again in our National Schools of Character. But it was gratifying to see over 1500 conference participants from around the country “get it” too.

Throughout the conference, we heard the message repeated:  Our kids deserve to be safe in school. Once they are safe, they can learn. We can do better. We know that our nation’s teachers are working hard for kids. They simply need our support – and they need tools which will enable them to build positive classroom cultures. Character education provides these tools, without adding “one more thing” or taking time away from academics. As researchers at the conference confirmed, we now know that when we focus on the social, emotional, and character development of students, we gain “time on task,” which results in academic improvement.

As Kristen said when she was asked how could she spend time on character, “How could I not?”

According to Interim Superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr., Atlanta Public Schools will work toward achieving “a culture of integrity” as well as a “more open and transparent culture” among its schools, administrators, and teachers.  Too little, too late?  Certainly not. It’s a monumental step in the right direction, and CEP would like to offer information and resources to help the Atlanta Public Schools however possible.  Character educators know that even after a scandal of epic proportions such as this, it’s never too late to embrace our proper role as models and show our students that we, too, make mistakes sometimes (big ones, even).  And that we, as adults, can step up to the plate, do the right thing, hold our head up high, and keep on going.  Let’s show our students the right way to do things, and the right reason for doing them. Let’s bring integrity and ethics back into ALL our schools, let’s acknowledge where these qualities are lacking, and let’s take steps to show our nation’s impressionable youth how to act with integrity, character, and pride in our work. 

These students who watched our nation’s educators make colossal mistakes are our leaders of tomorrow.  They’ve witnessed the actions, they’ve seen the carnage that resulted, and now they’re watching what we’re all doing in the aftermath.  Let’s stop pointing fingers, casting blame, and castigating Atlanta Public Schools.  Let’s applaud them for taking the right steps in their commitment to creating a culture of integrity in their schools, and let’s help them succeed.

It is interesting, therefore, to study the words that are spoken on these historic occasions. What messages come across? What themes can we promote to future graduates? You will be hard pressed to find a graduation speech that extols the wisdom of achieving fame and wealth. Despite America’s ambitious and capitalistic nature, when it comes down to these defining moments in our lives, we stop to think about the qualities of life that really matter—things like being kind to others, respecting and valuing different opinions, being open to new experiences throughout your life—in general finding a way forward on the path to happiness.

Once you get past the obligatory references to late nights with too much alcohol, the endless opportunities open to new graduates, and the need to step back from social media every now and then—and even this year’s favorite theme: overcoming fear (fear of the future, fear of the job market, fear of progressing in life)—this year’s notable graduation speakers focused on how to get fulfillment out of life.

Despite their fame, speakers Denzel Washington, Amy Poehler and Tom Hanks did not encourage a focus on gathering fame and wealth. Rather, they emphasized going after what you’re passionate about, collaborating with others, and persevering in the face of failures. Poehler discussed the importance of finding a good group of people to work with and learn from: “You can’t do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration….Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you.” By helping others, you learn and grow with them and some day those very same people will be able to help you on the way.

Other speakers (known more for their scholarly efforts) such as Thomas Freidman and Robert Krulwich followed a similar vein, while encouraging a connection to the wider world. The importance of working together with others spills over and affects a larger community. By being involved in your own efforts with others, you help to create chains of kindness that can stretch around the globe. Professor Robert Cargill shared some things he’d learned “over the past 18 years that may help you in your next 18 years…Say thank you. Be gracious. There is an Arab saying which says: ‘Blessed is the one who can say thank you in a thousand languages.’” He went on to thank his own college coaches, who taught him “not only…to play baseball, but how to compete with character and confidence in life.”

Even without years of wisdom, one graduating student boiled his thoughts down to this goal of happiness: “Happy people get what they want because often happy people are the ones who realize they don’t need much more than they already have and they appreciate what they’ve already got” (Chris Sacca, Univ. of Minnesota’s School of Management).

These ongoing efforts to work with others and find happiness prove just one thing—you never graduate from learning and demonstrating good character. This life-long endeavor is best summed up in the words of Denzel Washington speaking at UPenn: “Be open to life, to accept new views, be open to new opinions…because the chances you take, the people you meet, the people you love, the faith that you have, that’s what’s going to define you.”

If you could come up with your own way to acknowledge the hard work of all of our teachers, school leaders, and the faculty and staff as a whole, what would you do?

Here’s one idea that was recognized as a 2010 Promising Practice.

S.E.S. Hall of Fame

Sullivan Elementary School in Sullivan, MO, took the need to teach students the school’s adopted character traits and turned it into a year-long opportunity to recognize staff members. Students are selected to interview school staff members on a bi-monthly basis. Staff members and students are chosen by a 5th grade committee and after the interview, a visual display is created as a new spotlight in the Hall of Fame.

Don’t forget the importance of recognizing your staff members throughout the year, whether by offering a simple thanks for kind acts or honoring them in more public ways. A little bit of appreciation goes a long way, and it seems in this current atmosphere of high-stakes school critiquing, we need to show it more than ever.

Here’s a community where commitment to character permeates everything they do. Four schools in the district have been recognized with National Schools of Character awards, and the school district was named a National District of Character. The mayor, city council, and Chamber of Commerce have also adopted the same core values, or expected behaviors, as the school district has. It truly makes for a community of character.

Puppione writes:

The City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton Unified School District and the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce actively participate in a Community of Character program that encourages people to work together to ensure that individuals and families are strong, homes and streets are safe, education is effective, businesses are productive, and citizens care for one another.

Following the principles CEP advocates and serving as the leading resource for the Pleasanton Program people and organizations in Pleasanton are integrating character education into their schools and communities.

Highlights of the Program include:

• Autonomy/school plans/committees
• District Committee
• Shared Vision
• Embedded in the curriculum
• School Newsletters
• School Brochure
• Shared Lessons
• Evaluations
• City Government Participation
• Chamber of Commerce Participation

The effort has permeated the entire community. A list of the expected behaviors hangs in city hall as well as in every school in the district. 

The mayor begins each town council meeting by reminding all those present that they are to use the Expected Behaviors in their interactions with one another. Businesses pledge to support the Expected Behaviors and display their signed pledge on their premises. Clergy preach the about the Expected Behaviors at worship. Every month, the Rotary Club recognizes a teacher who exemplifies the behaviors. A Character Education Coalition gives visibility to the program and honors an individual who has exemplified a certain expected behavior.

A recognizable unifying logo banners displayed at several key locations (including schools, businesses, and City facilities) promoting each character trait.

Register now for the conference and to experience this wonderful site visit to see effective character in action.

My sister couldn’t stop talking about how friendly everyone was. “Iowa has to be the most hospitable state ever,” she said. At every stop, people from all walks of life offered their homes to the bicyclists (and there were a lot of them. One count on the first day reported 20,000). The bikers camped out in their yards, slept in their basements, and shared their family rooms.

My sister also noticed a decorating trend in Iowa. “Everyone decorated their houses with words and sayings,” she said, “sometimes just plates on the wall that read ‘Love,’ ‘Family,’ ‘Friendship;’ sometimes framed poems or quotes.” Two she particularly remembered:

“We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.”
“Do take care of the little things or they may become big things.”

I couldn’t help but think there was a connection. Decorating their homes with the core values they believed in surely helped reinforce their hospitable behavior. CEP’s framework, the Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education, begins with a focus on core ethical and performance values. When schools decide what they value most and work to achieve those values, good things happen.

If you want to learn more about CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education, there will be lots of opportunities at our national conference, the 17th National Forum on Character Education in October. Come experience the many success stories that have sprung from embracing character education.
From our all-day Foundational Training on Oct. 27, to an in-depth workshop “Aiming for Virtue” to myriad breakout sessions, you’ll find lots of ways to learn more and to develop your own success story.