Character Education Days
At Trautwein Elementary, one day of each month has been devoted entirely to the development of the student’s character education through the implementation of Character Education Days. Character Education Days begin with a student-led broadcast of morning announcements, a Character Club presentation, character story and clip, all presented through closed circuit television. Following the broadcast, classrooms participate in a student -ed class meeting to discuss the broadcast. During the second hour of the day, classes meet with their buddy class and attend one of six character stations which are developed and led by teams of special area teachers. Character stations focus on respect, courage, honesty, cooperation, responsibility, and service. Then, buddy classes return to one of the buddy pair classes to engage in activities that address character education and other curricular areas simultaneously. These activities are developed and implemented by classroom teachers. With the implementation of Character Education Days, the school has strengthened student’s core values, improved buddy relationships, and enhanced the school climate.