Most of us probably know that school gardens are a great teaching tool that can be used to enrich curriculum and improve physical health, but we believe in gardens as a way to grow character.  We see this everyday in our garden.

We see children sharing, working hard, and being kind. We watch kids grow responsibility as well as vegetables. We see kids engaged, excited, motivated, and proud of their school.  We watch as kids make connections between their school, their community, and the planet.

New research published by the Royal Horticulture Society (and who knows gardening better!) shows that as well as helping children lead happier, healthier lives, gardening “helps them acquire the essential skills they need to fulfill their potential in a rapidly-changing world and make a positive contribution to society as a whole.”

In fact, evidence suggests that gardening can play such a vital role that we believe every child should be given the chance to experience the benefits. So we will be sharing what we’ve learned along the way- how to start and maintain a school garden, how gardens create opportunities to embed character education principles, and what kids, teachers, and families have to say about gardening at the 18th National Forum on Character Education.

Our presentation “Where Gardens Grow Character”  on Friday, Oct. 21 at 2:15 will include opportunities to share your school garden stories and you’ll walk away with: a list of gardening resources we’ve found helpful; a bibliography of garden research; and a hand made memento from our beloved garden.

Please join us!  Because gardening in schools is a necessity.

Posted by Susi Jones, Tricia Elisara, Nancy Younce, Julian Elementary School, a 2010 National School of Character

Posted by Clifton L. Taulbert, member CEP’s Education Advisory Council

When I was 13, I was hired by “Uncle Cleve,” a local entrepreneur who lived in my Mississippi Delta hometown of Glen Allan, to work with him at his Ice House. I had to wait on customers, cut the ice into multiple sizes, make change and be quick about it. I had to learn to speak up and to be polite even when I didn’t feel it was required. Even though I was only 13, I was involved in man’s work.

I found myself surrounded by a mindset of “I can and I will” …the thesis of my recent book, “Who Owns the Ice House?” The environment was so powerful that it gave me a new way of thinking. I didn’t have to do what everyone else was doing.

I learned that my response to others mattered. I had to be at work on time. Uncle Cleve was not one to give multiple chances. He had rules and I had to learn them. Eventually, being at work on time became important to me. Looking back, I realize that was what he wanted. He wanted being timely to be my choice as well. He helped me to understand that my disposition and my work represented him and the company. It was not all about me.

I graduated from high school! Trust me that was big—just as important then as it is today. My personal behavior reflected what I was learning from this man.

I found it relatively easy to choose the right friends. In that “entrepreneurial environment” personal resiliency was being nurtured—my ability to make good choices and to embrace a positive self-esteem which is still critical for our youth today.

Many of our youth today are facing a myriad of challenges oftentimes without the wherewithal to make the right choice. Their mental models are not providing them the conversation they need to walk away from a potentially negative set of circumstances. Shifting this paradigm of thinking and behavior continues to be a top priority within our schools—developing programs to promote resiliency in our youth. It’s about giving them a new set of lens through which to view their world. Changing one’s perspective leads to thinking and acting differently. The entrepreneur mindset becomes a powerful tool to employ in this process.

My “Ice House” entrepreneur experience provided me-the opportunity to see myself differently, to see a future and to recognize the unique gifts Uncle Cleve was bringing into my life as we worked together day-in and day-out. This type of vision is what we want for all our youth, no matter the circumstances surrounding their lives.

In September, I will formally introduce “Uncle Cleve” and his entrepreneur mindset to several Baltimore High Schools who are part of Johns Hopkins University’s Talent Development High Schools and who will be participants in the Kauffman Foundation sponsored on-line “Ice House Entrepreneur Program.” These youth will become involved in a semester-long program to not only spark innovation and new business ideas, but to foster resiliency and quality decision-making skills. We want them to recognize that they have choices as they connect with the possibilities they may have thought to be beyond their reach.

Just as I embraced the timeless entrepreneurial lessons from the Ice House generations earlier, they too will experience a shift in perspective, a shift in thinking and a shift in behavior as well as a greater sense of self-determination which can lead to positive growth in their social and academic life.

Clifton Taulbert will be leading a hot topic discussion on resiliency at the 18th National Forum on Character Education along with Principal Cathy Areman and Guidance Counselor Kimberly Fitzpatrick of Catena Middle School, a 2011 National School of Character.

We’ve already begun to hear about excited attendees and speakers who are low on funds for the conference. It certainly is a great expense, when you add up the registration fees, hotel costs, flights, and any other expenses that come to mind. We know what it’s like, being a nonprofit ourselves in these challenging time. Know that we are constantly working to find funding opportunities for you. Our Director of Resource Development is as we speak trying to secure funds we can reserve for scholarship money for our wonderful attendees out there, and we will be sure to let you know as soon as funds do become available throughout this registration cycle.

In the meantime, what options are out there for finding funding on your own? Many schools have pulled travel and conference funding as budgets are being slashed across the nation. One of our breakout session speakers initially applied after confirming that funds were available to travel, but has since heard that none of those funds will actually be available. So it becomes vitally important to explore all possible options to find other sources.

Here are some ideas that can help get that process started, many of which have been successful endeavors by previous conference attendees.

Within the Community

Has your school built a relationship with any of the organizations in the surrounding community? Local businesses and groups like the Rotary Club are great candidates to ask for help. They often are interested in helping their local schools and by showing them what you will get out of this conference that will make you a better school leader who can have a bigger impact on the kids, you can show them how important this conference really is.

The best way to pitch your story is often to find out what aspects of the conference are most important to you, personally. By highlighting the pieces that you are most passionate about, those business leaders and community members will see your eagerness and your motivation to get as much as you possibly can out of this conference. Offer to share your insights with them when you get back—maybe they’ll be able to learn something, too!

We at CEP are currently working to get more specific details about the conference online. For example, we are working on getting the schedule of breakout sessions finalized and highlighting descriptions of a variety of sessions that showcase the types of topics our speakers will be covering this year. Right now, you can check out our keynote speakers and events taking place before the official start of the Forum. Keep checking back on the website for more and more details to be posted.

Within the School

What about sources within the school community itself? While there may be no funding available from the school itself, often the students and their parents are invested in the school and see just how enriching character development is for the whole community.

It might be possible to raise money within the school community. You could turn it into something fun for the kids to get involved in, for example by offering some sort of fun prize if enough money is raise. We have a great story from Sullivan Primary School last year, which we hope to post more details on separately, where each classroom raised money and the class that raised the most got to pick which teachers and school leaders were able to come to the conference using that funding.

Parents can be helpful in multiple ways. If your parents are involved and engaged in your community, they may contribute individually, or a request through the PTA could garner some cash for your endeavor. Alternatively, parents may be willing to donate frequent flyer miles. Often families may accrue these miles without ever quite using them up, or perhaps multiple parents could donate enough for you to collect enough points to receive a free flight. Often the flight can be the most expensive part, so this is a great way to remove that cost from the equation.

CEP Funding

As we mentioned above, CEP is actively searching out ways to fund scholarships that can help lower your registration costs. It is still early in the cycle for this, so we don’t have any to offer just yet. As soon as these funds become available, however, we will be sure to post the exciting news to our website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. So be sure to keep a lookout for those notices. (If you haven’t yet added us to your social media network, be sure to do so and you’ll automatically receive these updates!)

We do offer a volunteer rate for participants that are interested in helping CEP during the Forum. We have a number of openings for volunteers. Your responsibilities would include facilitating two breakout sessions to ensure that everything goes smoothly and to collect feedback at the end. The rate is $250 and you would need to send an email to Farrell Harding and Rebecca Sipos (see their emails on this page) explaining why you would like to volunteer.

Other Ideas?

What suggestions do you have for other attendees? Do you have any stories of what has worked for you in the past? Post your ideas, obstacles, or questions below and we’ll generate a discussion to ensure everyone can make it to the conference!

In a town settled by Quakers, otherwise known as Friends, Principle 10 wasn’t too difficult to sell. A small bedroom community outside of Houston, Friendswood was founded with core values in mind. But knowing about character and putting character into action are two different things, so in 1987 a group of 120 concerned citizens gathered to decide which values would be important to focus on for the students and families in the Friendswood Independent School District. And so our character education initiative began.

When it needed a booster shot, the School Board revitalized and consolidated the initiative by adopting the Character Counts! (CC!) framework in 2001. Westwood Elementary, one of six schools in the district, has been weaving the Six Pillars of Character into the very fabric of our school ever since.

Stakeholders help make Westwood Elementary School a caring community. Our character-building efforts today are extensive; parent and community volunteers clock an average of 1,210 hours per month. Westwood’s Parent-Teacher Organization intentionally organizes family gatherings outside of the school day like grade-level Skate Nights, Donuts with Dudes and Divas, BEAR (Be Enthusiastic About Reading) Night and the annual Round-Up Carnival. These moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas are vital to our school success.

They get very creative in their fundraising efforts by offering teacher treats as silent auction items, creating great connections for kids. For example, the principal donated a bowling outing, the counselor donated a cooking lesson, the assistant principal donated a canoe trip, some teachers donated a movie night, and another teacher donated a picnic in the park. These outings really energize students because they get to spend some quality time with their character role models and faculty, and the treats energize faculty because they get to better know their students more personally while the school benefits financially.

Teenagers from Friendswood High School regularly visit our campus. As Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) students, they come to us weekly to mentor. As Math Club members, they tutor. As Hometown Heroes, they lead pep rallies and serve as role models. As Future Farmers of America, they bring their animals once a year for a Go Texan Day. Health Occupations Student Association  students serve as Germ Busters and come to teach us healthy habits. Integrity Teams prepare and teach a monthly character lesson.

Adult mentors from all walks of life are also vital to our character building. Principal’s Partners volunteer to tutor and read one-on-one with students who need a little extra boost. Mystery Readers from the community share their favorite books to make a literacy connection. Parent volunteers cover classes so teachers can participate in our Lunch Bunch program that treats staff to a lunch out with others who have a birthday that month.

Also, The Rotary Club partners with us to help bring our service-learning projects full circle; last year they put money aside to ship the items that we had collected for two “adopted” soldiers on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Friendswood Police Department sends a D.A.R.E. officer to conduct safety trainings with our students and teach them refusal skills, courage, and safety.

The local Knitting Guild volunteers to assist in our Knit-For-Service Club efforts. These mentors help our students learn to knit so that they can make caps for newborns and patches for blankets in their quest to reduce the infant mortality rate and Warm Up America! Area and family Veterans are invited and honored by our first graders on Veterans’ Day.

When we hosted a Career Awareness Day last May, some 45 community workers signed up to join us and share information about their career paths with our future leaders.

Finally, the school intentionally works to welcome families to spend some time with us after hours. In a typical year, we’ll host Family Math and Wellness Night, Family Character Night, Literacy Night, What’s Up at Westwood Night, Grandparents’ Night, Parent Preview, and a Second-Grade Musical.

It truly does take a village to raise a child, and at Westwood, we appreciate the unique contribution of every villager as we constantly welcome new friends to the fold.

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.