IN THIS ISSUE

Program Development:
• Tools Teens Need to Succeed
Training: Bullying in the Balance in Albertville
Faces of CC!: Mike Wagner
Character in the Curriculum:
• FFL Contest Deadline
• Celebrate Sisterhood Lesson Plan (Traveling Pants Optional)
Commentary by Michael Josephson: Teaching Our Children to Teach Us

ON THE SIDE

Announcements
CC! in the News:
• How DO Student-Athletes Feel About Cheating?
• Martin County Writing for Character
Resource of the Month: “What Will Matter” CD-ROM
Did You Know? 70 Years of Seuss
Free Resources for Teachers:
• National Educators Association Celebrates 50 Years of The Cat in The Hat
• Money Smart Teaching Tools
Website Poll: Community Participation in CC!
2007 Conference Dates and Training Programs

Program Development

Tools Teens Need to Succeed
By Lorin Shields-Michel

Early in 1990, the U.S. Department of Labor assessed the skills teens were learning and, in some cases not learning in high school. The goal was to better understand what skills high school graduates needed to know to appeal to potential employers. The findings led to educational reforms that are still in place today and employed in places like the Louisiana 4-H.

The study identified five competency areas a student needs to master:

1. Resources—How to allocate time and material
2. Interpersonal Skills—How to work as a team, improve customer service, negotiate, and deal skillfully with others
3. Information—How to find what you’re looking for
4. Systems—How to determine understanding the bigger picture of how things fit together
5. Technology—How to use the equipment and tools needed to get the job done

“These skills are similar to what we teach in 4-H,” explains Johnny Arceneaux, CC! associate. “If kids know how to use tools, they excel. As an example, when kids grow up on a farm, they know how to use farm tools, they know how to function. Today’s kids watch television and play computer games. They no longer have the basic skills needed to succeed as adults.”

In Louisiana, they also highlight personal qualities (ethics). The latter is where character development comes into play as each school works to incorporate academic foundations with strong ethical foundations. “By addressing ethics directly, we find that everything improves,” said Arceneaux. “By breaking character down into manageable, understandable bits we can focus on how well students get along with others as well as issues such as whether they do their homework and if they come to class on time.”

These two elements, relationships and work ethics, enable high school students to assemble a portfolio to present to potential employers. Employers are more interested in hiring students with people and ethics skills than straight A's.

Working With the Six Pillars
Arceneaux has created a workplace ethics program incorporating each of the Six Pillars is into lessons appropriate for office and real-world settings. “We can make the mistake of assuming kids know what good work ethics are,” said Arceneaux. “But they don’t know, and they won’t… if it’s not taught.”

Arceneaux’s team employs the Six Pillars in the following ways:

• Trustworthiness: Working all scheduled hours, providing honest feedback on progress and problems, and working with little supervision.

• Respect: Treating supervisors, co-workers and customers with courtesy and honor. Building mutual respect and long-term relationships by listening and communicating openly.

• Responsibility: Taking pride in your work. Showing initiative. Recognizing what needs to be done. Paying attention to detail and pursuing excellence. Being loyal in attendance and always punctual.

• Fairness: Understanding and respecting the customer-supplier relationship that exists between employer, employees, vendors, and customers.

• Caring: Striving to create harmonious, mutually beneficial, and ethical business relationships by showing kindness and sensitivity to the feelings of others.

• Citizenship: Showing initiative by being helpful, resourceful, cooperative, and supportive. Following company policies, regulations, and procedures.

“When we show how the Six Pillars relate to work scenarios, we often get an Ah-ha! moment,” said Arceneaux. “Then they understand how strong character and a stronger work ethic can help them get hired and then, once hired, not get fired.”

Internalizing Ethics
Research shows that teens internalize the idea of character and work ethics. Standard character-education programs reach about 80 percent of teens, 15 percent can be reached with more intense treatment, and 5 percent need individualized attention. The Louisiana 4-H Character Development Program considers the whole youth and not just a single characteristic or problem. It focuses on desirable positive outcomes and emphasizes the importance of circumstance and creating opportunities. Youths are seen as central actors in their own development.

To ensure character and ethics stick, teens need to know they are cared about by others, need to feel—and believe—they are both capable and successful, understand they are able to influence people and events in their lives, and need to know they can help others through their own generosity, and through it all…have fun.

Internalization of the language of The Six Pillars builds a sense of self-worth which stays with the teen long past their teenage years and serves them well as they move through life.

“If we empower our teens, and give them skills, they grow. It happens because we’re doing it with them, and not to them.”

Help Teens Develop Work-Ethics Skills
• Encourage personalization of the Six Pillars. Stimulate students to be what you want them to be. Don’t force them.
• Form a team. Put an implementation plan into place.
• Get the community involved. Create a leadership team in school composed of students, parents, and teachers. Invite speakers from businesses to speak about workplace ethics.
• Reach the parents. Promote work ethics to the parents through the school newsletter, booster clubs and half-time events.
• Encourage service learning. Let teens plan, source, and process information about what has to be done to tie work ethics into a business.

Louisiana's 4-H Coordinator Johnny Arceneaux

Training

Bullying in the Balance

“I thought it was very informative; it’s the best thing Student Council has done so far.” Sam

After leading a successful Character Development Seminar in the Albertville School District last year, Kay Augustine was asked back to do an anti-bullying workshop in January at Saint Michelle Albertville Middle School (MN).

Kay is a member of the CHARACTER COUNTS! national faculty and has a wealth of experience in running successful in-service training workshops. The roles of teacher and student are usually clearly delineated, but when the roles are flexible, when both teacher and student create knowledge, great things happen.

“I liked it. It went well, especially when we got to say our opinion on the school.” Daena

It began when student council members met with Augustine prior to the workshop to familiarize themselves with CHARACTER COUNTS! and to prepare for their roles as facilitators. Using their knowledge of bullying tactics at school to create strategies to tackle these issues was so appealing to them that the students attended sessions on what would have been their day off.

“The teachers learned from it. It was a really fun experience.” Paige

The students worked in small groups with teaching staff and shared their knowledge of bullying at the school with the adults. Many of the adults expressed surprise when they learned of the extent of the use of technology with cyber-bullying, text-bullying and IM bullying. The student facilitators also explained the intent behind seemingly innocent gestures and words that pass undetected in front of teachers. Ideas and knowledge were shared through PowerPoint presentations.

“It was a great chance to do something good. The teachers really learned from it rather than just us.”
MiCale

The students were awarded with CHARACTER COUNTS! dogtags as reminders that responsibility lay with them to ensure that their solutions were followed up on. Not only did the workshop provide the teens with a voice in determining how to tackle bullying, but afforded the teaching staff the opportunity to learn from their students and see them as leaders.

If you would like to organize an In-Service workshop such as this one, contact CHARACTER COUNTS! for further information.

To find out more about products we offer, visit our online shop. All proceeds benefit CHARACTER COUNTS! and the nonprofit Josephson Institute.

For more information on how to tackle cyberbullying in your school the following site has a comprehensive list of links and strategies you can explore:
http://www.wiredkids.org/

Faces of CC!

Mike Wagner Senior Program Coordinator

Mike Wagner

We’re fortunate at Josephson Institute to have a lovely kitchen where we can share lunch with colleagues, take a coffee break, or sample goodies from a Secret Cupid or Santa. At the end of the day there are often leftover treats, which is where Mike Wagner comes in. Mike lives in downtown Los Angeles, where the homeless and unemployed live on streets around his apartment, and he is a firm believer in the power of communities to make changes for the better. He will gather up any leftover food to distribute among those less fortunate. With all the choices available to us in the 21st century, it is ironic that we often see only a very limited set of choices when it comes to life lessons.

Prior to joining Josephson Institute, Mike worked as the athletic director and dean of students at an independent Los Angeles school, grades 6-12. With this experience and a Masters in Education Administration, Mike is well aware of the changes faced by educators.

A strong personal commitment to character education led Mike to design and implement a character-education summer program for incoming middle school students. Now in its fourth year, the summer program uses character principles as a daily theme for learning. Afternoon field trips allow principles learned in the morning session to apply to real-life circumstances.The program won a national Promising Practices Award from the Character Education Partnership.

As a senior program manager, Mike is one of the first points of contact for callers to CHARACTER COUNTS! national office he can assist you with initiating or expanding your current CC! program. If you are thinking about setting up a CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative in your area, here are some tips from Mike:

• Identify key individuals who will have the largest impact on developing and implementing a character-education program and form a committee.
• Draft a strategic plan to create and/or change the culture or environment.
• Train the people who will train others in your organization.
• Be prepared to make a permanent and ongoing commitment to the program.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of The Cat in The Hat, and the National Education Association is running a number of events in conjunction with its annual Read Across America event (celebrating its tenth anniversary this year). For more information and excellent literacy resources, visit their website.

Financial competency is a key area for teaching responsibility and something that can be learned at any stage in life. The Federal Reserve System produces literature to help teach students about financial responsibility, from learning how to use bank services to reading about the economic aspect of scarce natural resources -all in the accessible form of comic books.

Commentary by Michael Jospehson

Adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries, airing Monday through Friday across the nation.

Teaching Our Children to Teach Us

One of the great joys of parenting is to discover that we're not wasting our time lavishing our children with important information and good advice. More often than we realize, what we say, what we do, and what we allow or encourage our children to do shapes the values and attitudes of the future parents of our grandchildren.

A few years back, I was struggling to liberate a new Barbie doll from the almost invincible packaging that imprisoned her. I was muttering as I was untwisting the seventh of thirteen wire fasteners that secured the new toy when, sensing my frustration, my almost four-year-old Abrielle, said, "It's all right, Daddy, you can do it."

"Yeah," my five-and-a-half-year-old Samara chipped in."Don't give up. You can do anything if you really try."

Later, while backing out of the driveway, my two year-old, Carissa, perched in her car seat in the third row of our not-so-mini van, noticed I hadn't put on my seat belt yet. "Daddy, buckle up, I love you," she yelled. She was repeating a mantra my wife taught all our children to remind them that being safe and careful is a responsibility because there are people who love you.

It's heartwarming to hear our children earnestly repeat the little wisdoms we taught them, but it also helps us to live up to our own lessons. You can bet next time I'm on the verge of quitting I'll remember my daughters' encouragement: "You can do it, Daddy."

And if I'm tempted to do something unsafe or imprudent I'll think of Carissa saying, "Buckle up, I love you."

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Commentary transcripts and audio files are archived here.

Subscribe to the free weekly commentary newsletter here.

View Chronicle archive

Do you have stories to share about character or character education? Please send them to ccnews@jiethics.org. E-mail your photos, too. We can use almost any format.

Have You Got Mail?

Membership renewal invoices should appear in your mail over the next few weeks. Please let us know if you do not receive yours.

Your membership and continued support help us continue the work we do as a non-profit organization

Members Receive These Benefits:

• Discounts on a wide range of training and educational materials, including a 10 percent discount on support products
• Opportunity to use our logos and trademarks, with permission
• Free consultation
• Free survey for secondary students
• Networking benefits and a membership directory (call 800-711-2670 if you have not received your 2005/2006 edition)
• Two half-off scholarships for Character Development Seminars (for new members)
• One complimentary copy of Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character, a book with 250 activity ideas, plus details on how to bring CC! to life at school and throughout the community (for new members)

Members make three important commitments:

1. Integrate character education into all programs and encourage families to make choices according to the Six Pillars of Character.
2. Participate in and encourage community involvement in awareness programs.
3. Share ideas with the CC! national office regarding methods and materials that others might use.

We also ask members to publicize local, state, and national CHARACTER COUNTS! activities and the impact character education has had in their communities.

CC! Week Materials Coming Soon!

National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week may not be until October 21-27, but it’s never too early to start planning. Like last year, the CC! National Office will be offering free resources to help you organize your activities for CC! Week. These resources will be available next month and we will send an announcement to let you know when they are ready. Stay tuned!

Josephson Institute Report: How Do Student-Athletes Feel About Cheating?

According to a national study conducted by Josephson Institute, the values of young athletes are dramatically impacted by their sports experience.

The report, "What Are Your Children Learning? The Impact of High School Sports on the Values and Ethics of High School Athletes," summarizes the responses of 5,275 high school athletes to a written survey administered in 2005 and 2006.

Michael Josephson, founder and president of the Institute and its national CHARACTER COUNTS! program, said, "The good news is, the majority of high school athletes trust and admire their coaches and are learning positive life skills and good values from them."

"The bad news," adds Josephson, "is that many coaches -- particularly in the high profile sports of boys’ basketball, baseball, and football -- are teaching kids how to cheat and cut corners."

To view the entire report, including a breakdown of responses by gender and individual sports, click here.

Martin County (FL) Celebrates the Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards

“I used to be a spoiled brat that had everything done for me. I blamed my handicapping condition for everything. Now, by concentrating on specific traits I've become more independent and mature. I've been putting these character traits into my life and they've been helping me grow as a person. Attention to the pillars have enabled me to take my mind off of my handicap and made me a productive member of my school community.”
Timothy Jones

So wrote one of the winning authors of the Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards held in Martin County in Florida. In its sixth year, the competition awards students from grades eight and twelve who have been nominated.

This year nominations were open to public groups including churches and youth groups. To be eligible for nomination students must show an ongoing commitment that demonstrates any or all of the traits associated with the Six Pillars of Character.

Nominated students are then invited to submit an essay detailing their undertakings which have demonstrated uncompromising integrity, community service and/or perseverance and inner strength which has allowed the student to overcome difficulties.

Award Winners 2007

The late Joe Kordick founded the Awards, and was a driving force behind the implementation of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County. His legacy has outlived him, and continues to thrive among the community of Martin County, where this year’s winners will take on the honor of becoming Character Ambassadors within their schools.

Projects will include peer mentoring through the offices of the guidance counselor, promoting voluntarism at school and community events, and maintaining involvement and commitment to their extracurricular activities that got them noticed in the first place.

“I have sung the songs and listened to the message of CHARACTER COUNTS! since kindergarten. This message has influenced me to be the person I am today.”
Emily Holland

The success of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County comes from the dedication of those involved in maintaining its high profile. This year several new sponsors were involved in the event. The ceremony was held in the local technical college, enabling savings to be made for a reception area. Light snacks were provided free of charge by a local supermarket.

The whole community was involved in recognition of good character, weaving it into the fabric of their lives, and by rewarding nominees for doing something good that benefits everyone.

“If you are unclear of what the trait is that I possess that is so special it is this: Even though I may stumble at times, I never, ever, stop trying to be the best person I can be.”
Amanda Brown

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Karely Aguilar, Michael Alexander, Heather Bateman, Danielle Blakeslee, Lisa Bresson, Amanda Brown, Lauren Cavette, Derrick Edwards II, Lexi Gioseffi, Jessica Gutierrez, Emily Holland, Timothy Jones, Michael Li, Raquel Molina, Andrea Ramos, Jonathan Tobias.

Comment on this story in the Local News Blog

Are you innovating with our resources? Share your ideas and we'll publish them here. Email us at ccnews@jiethics.org.

"What Will Matter" CD-ROM

All proceeds benefit CHARACTER COUNTS! and the nonprofit Josephson Institute.

You've downloaded the poster, you've viewed it as a movie, you`ve seen it on YouTube. Now you can own it.

Michael Josephson's popular poem, "What Will Matter," is now a CD-ROM. You can present it to your organization as a PowerPoint slideshow, give it to someone as a gift, or enjoy it as a personal screensaver or printable document. (To "watch" Mr. Josephson's poem, click here.)

The CD-ROM is available for $9.95.

To order, call (800) 711-2670 or visit our secure online catalog.

Publishers Refused to Book Dr. Seuss

In an era of bland, formulaic reiterations of spelling primers, publishers of children’s literature in the 1930's would rather have risked a meal of green ham than to gamble on the outlandish tales of Dr. Seuss. The author (Theodore Seuss Geisel) sent his first text to 27 publishers – all of whom rejected it.

Rather than burn the book (which he nearly did), Geisel persuaded a contact at Vanguard Press to show the manuscript to the company’s decision makers. His persistence paid off when, in 1937, Vanguard kicked off the Dr. Seuss phenomenon by publishing And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street.

The rejection he faced from the publishing world was one of many obstacles Geisel overcame to establish his writing career.

While studying at Dartmouth College in Vermont, he was removed from his post as editor of the campus humor magazine for throwing an illegal party. He also failed to earn a scholarship to Oxford University in England upon his graduation.

Though his father managed to scrape enough money to fund the advanced education in hopes of seeing his son become a doctor, Giesel felt disassociated from the rigors of academia. The young man only realized his father’s dream by adding the pseudo “Dr.” to his penname.

While at Oxford, a fellow student named Helen Palmer recognized his artistic talent and guided him into illustration. The two eventually married, and Geisel abandoned his professor track to pursue a career in marketing. Though Geisel worked in advertising for Standard Oil, created political cartoons, and made animated training videos for the U.S. Army, it was in his books where the drawings would achieve fame.

Geisel continued to advance both his own authorial capacity and the limits of the genre. He published more than 40 books, including favorites like The Cat in The Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, the result of a challenge to write a book using only 50 words.

A childhood without the fanciful lands imagined by Dr. Seuss seems unimaginable, when one in four American children’s first introduction to literature is with a Dr. Seuss book. The stories entertain children and adults alike, successfully introducing children to the possibilities of literature while gently reminding adults to look to life's possibilities beyond it's immediate reality.

This month, the National Education Association is promoting the 50th anniversary of The Cat in The Hat through their annual “Read Across America” campaign. See our Free Resources section for Educators for more details.

What percentage of groups in your community is actively involved in making character count?

a) 0-10%
b) 11-25%
c) 26-50%
d) 51-75%
e) 76-100%

Respond and see the results.

Last Month's Results: Where does the majority of funding for your character education program come from? Federal Funds (8) Other Grants (9) Existing School Budget Allocations (7) Fundraising (16) Other (12)

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Josephson Institute is working to create a world where decisions and behavior are guided by ethics.