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A prompt princess was crowned, the Golden Plunger award went to the girls, and our Character Celebration ended with the singing of the Westwood School Song. Our Hometown Heroes made Victory Tunnels for the students to exit through on their way to having a 'TRRFCC' day! We thank our Heroes from FHS for modeling character and leadership, friendship and fun!]]>
If you live in Southern California, your next trip to the grocery store could be a character-building experience.
Ralphs is promoting CHARACTER COUNTS! in every single store. You’ll see a rack of our products and information, a sign at the door, kids’ lunchbox stickers, and advertising in the store flyers. You’ll even hear our own Michael Josephson’s “Food for Thought” messages over the sound system.
Be sure to see all the Pillars in store and check out our CHARACTER COUNTS! awareness and parenting products. Even if you’re not shopping, please tell the store manager how excited you are that they’re celebrating good character. And pass the word on to everyone you know.
If you’re rolling a cart down the aisle and hear, “There’s a Pillar in my produce!” you’ll know you’ve come to the right place!
Visit Ralphs.com to find a store near you.]]>
The San Clemente CHARACTER COUNTS! in San Clemente, CA will be hosting their annual CC! Week Jamboree to celebrate the Six Pillars of Character. This year the Jamboree will feature a Wild West theme, including 70 educational booths, arts and crafts, games, and many western performances!
The Jamboree will take place at Vista Del Mar Middle School on Saturday, September 26 to celebrate CHARACTER COUNTS! and National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. For more information about the events taking place in San Clemente, please call 949-361-8368. ]]>
Darline P. Robles, Ph.D., Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, joined Josephson Institute’s Board of Governors last year. As executive officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, she leads the nation’s largest regional education service agency, serving 80 K-12 school districts and 1.7 million students.
Dr. Robles was previously chief of the Salt Lake City School District, where she closed the achievement gap, significantly reduced the dropout rate, helped raise much-needed funds for schools with high at-risk populations, and was instrumental in securing a $12 million Annenberg Challenge Grant to meet the needs of the changing student population. A $136 million school bond measure, spearheaded by Robles, passed with an overwhelming 72 percent public approval.
We asked her opinion of the new Administration cutting character education, how schools can deal with shortages of staff, and how to get re-motivated after summer vacation.
CHARACTER COUNTS!: What drew you to Josephson Institute? What are the most significant challenges facing our organization, and what do you hope to bring to the table?
Darline P. Robles: Being part of Josephson Institute provides me with the opportunity to share its goals with our 80 school districts and within my organization and to eventually have more districts adopt the CHARACTER COUNTS! curriculum.]]>
CC!: What’s your take on the Obama Administration’s new direction in education and on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan?
Robles: I’m pleased with the President’s focus on early childhood and parent involvement. These areas need to be part of the K-12 educational system. As for Secretary Duncan, I’ve appreciated his outreach to superintendents. He’s already had two conference calls and has met with many of us. We’ll learn more as he moves to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. But I am concerned with the stimulus funds ending in two years. We will face a cliff, and I don’t know that anyone has determined how we’ll deal with that.
CC!: How can administrators alleviate the despondency felt by teachers who were heavily invested in such programs?
Robles: I don’t think we should feel despondent because I’ve always felt that if you believe in it, you’ll find a way to teach the Six Pillars of Character. Teachers have always found a way to teach what they love and believe in. What we’ll lose, with less funding, is the continued professional development for our current teachers and new teachers, so we have to be creative and find new ways to support them.
CC!: Whenever education suffers deep cuts, faculties have to re-group to compensate for loss of staff. What can schools do to maintain quality education when key personnel are gone?
Robles: Focus on the kids. That’s why we’re in this business. Students depend on us, and we need to regroup. We have to reach out and find new ways to connect and support each other. As is often said, teachers get to “re-teach third grade, but third graders only get taught once,” so we have to do it for them.
CC!: Teachers can be overwhelmed with all the tasks on their plate. We believe character is the plate. Is this possible in an era of No Child Left Behind?
Robles: I also believe it’s the plate. It’s the foundation of our democracy and educational system. It can be taught all day long and modeled all day long by the adults. It’s taught in our literature, in our culture, and in the decisions we make about what and when we teach. So we can’t use NCLB as an excuse to avoid teaching it.
CC!: Not every child can or wants to go to college. If schools focus everything on high-stakes testing, the goal of education becomes “Just get them into college.” Shouldn’t the goal be to educate “citizens” instead?
Robles: High-stakes testing is designed to make sure all students have access to a rigorous curriculum because the majority of jobs need skilled workers, not just students who are prepared to enter college. We’ve done a poor job of articulating our goals. To help our students become citizens who will participate in their communities, we need them to be literate in English, mathematics, technology, the arts, and all content areas.
Again, the content required to be educated must also include life lessons required of all responsible citizens, but not at the expense of eliminating other important lessons. Those taught in CHARACTER COUNTS! (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship) need to be instilled every day in every classroom.
CC!: Many schools are paralyzed by achievement gaps and dropout rates. How can they tackle these issues? What role does school climate play in motivating students to stay in school and study?
Robles: One student at a time. We need to remember and make sure in all our policies and practices that there is an individual we need to care for and educate. School climate and culture play a very important role in a student’s life. Students will be motivated if they know the school personnel care for them, want them to succeed, and have high aspirations for them. Personal relationships are important to students just as they are to staff.
There’s quote that states it best: “A student doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care.” To keep students in school, we need them to know that all adults in the system truly care about them.
CC!: As this is our back-to-school issue, what advice do you have for new teachers? For returning teachers? From your experience, do you have any tips on getting and staying motivated?
Robles: We need to remind ourselves every day of the opportunity we have as educators – an opportunity not many professions have – to inspire and educate our future leaders, scientists, artists, lawyers, bankers, teachers, and even superintendents. We must remember, though, that with this opportunity comes a tremendous responsibility to always strive to do our best every day because our future depends on it. Who we educate today will one day take care of us.
I know it isn’t easy. Teaching is one of the toughest professions. We’re “on stage” six to seven hours a day. But our motivation must come from our calling – we chose this profession because we care deeply about children. So, despite all the negativity we hear about schools and our profession, each of us must find our own way to be motivated.
What helps me stay focused is to always remember why I chose this profession. Taped to the monitor on my computer is a saying by Emma Goodman that I read every day to remind me about why I do what I do: “No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effect of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.” So every day, a teacher, an administrator, or a staff member has a new opportunity to unlock that treasure. How lucky and fortunate for us that we chose this profession!
CC!: In our Character Development Seminars, we ask participants to name a hero who inspired them. Who’s yours?
Robles: My mother! She inspires me every day – today as an adult and when I was a child. She worked as a single mother and raised two children through very difficult times, and yet we knew we were her number-one priority. She taught us, through her actions, how to care for each other, trust each other, and respect each other, and every day she demonstrated her unconditional love. She taught me how to read, to think independently, and raised me with the confidence and self-esteem that I could do and be whatever I desired despite our circumstances. She also was able to see only the good in me because it every day. She saw into my heart and soul and “unlocked that treasure” inside me. For that I will always be grateful.]]>
The DVD is part of a packet, which includes resources from the Pursuing Victory With Honor website. The packets are distributed to athletic programs throughout the community. Click below to watch.
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Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is an international service-learning consultant, workshop presenter, program developer, and keynote speaker. She’s also the author of several books including The Complete Guide to Service-Learning, Strategies for Success with Literacy: A Learning Curriculum that Serves and the How to Take Action series for kids. For more information about Ms. Kaye, please visit her website or contact her at: cbkaye@aol.com.
To commemorate Earth Day and inspire teachers and students to "be useful where thou livest," we asked Ms. Kaye how schools can overcome barriers to service-learning, why failed projects can sometimes be a blessing, and why throwing a pizza party for a good project may not be a good idea.]]>
CHARACTER COUNTS!: What have we learned – both good and bad – about service-learning?
Cathryn Berger Kaye: What I’ve learned is all good. Well-designed and implemented service-learning works for kids, students, teachers, parents, and communities. It infuses relevance, skill development, and concept knowledge across multiple curricular areas. And service-learning develops intrinsic knowledge rather than relying on extrinsic rewards, prizes, or competition.
What is exciting is how the service-learning experience can vary depending on student interests, subject matter, and community need – it’s continually fresh and purposeful. Whether students are visiting people with Alzheimer’s, restoring wetlands, developing a city bicycle policy, or writing children’s books for parents, service-learning let’s them become engaged citizens.
CC!: What are the most common myths about service-learning?
Kaye: My favorites are service-learning “takes too much time,” “interferes with academics,” and “is one more thing for teachers to do.” Certainly, it takes time to understand this pedagogy and adapt lessons and classroom processes. However, this is time well spent. With kids engaged, there’s often less acting out and more cooperation and learning is faster.
As for academic interference, the “How much does this assignment count toward my grade?” is replaced with “When can we get started?”
CC!: What are successful service-learning programs doing right?
Kaye: Schools, districts, and organizations that have quality staff development to learn and establish a common language for service-learning are on a strong course. Finding sustainable and higher-education partners also helps. And remember publicity. If you want good news about your school, service-learning stories make great local news items.
CC!: What’s the worst mistake a school can make with a service-learning project?
Kaye: Calling it a project. Service-learning is really an experience because it often doesn’t have a finite end. One idea well done can lead to the next and the next. Example: While organizing a food drive, students may learn more about hunger and want to help unemployed adults learn computer skills so they can write a resume and obtain a job. Real life isn’t about stopping points.
A key element of service-learning is also letting students develop ideas. Marva Collins said, “If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything.” When we replace “We can’t do that” with “How can we make that a reality?” how can that be a mistake? When we listen to students’ questions, invite their curiosity, and give them skills to take a nascent idea step-by-step toward fruition, how can that be a mistake? If the results are different than what we expected, what a learning opportunity!
I once ran a program in 29 Los Angeles Unified School District high schools. At the end, each student group presented what they’d achieved. I remember only one. They explained in earnest and funny detail how every single project they tried had failed. Then they concluded with: “But next year…” We cheered them for their honesty, insight, and most of all their perseverance.
The biggest mistake a school can make is to say “no” to service-learning when “yes” can create so much excitement and so many reasons for all of us to gather in this place called school.
CC!: What are the most common barriers to service-learning?
Kaye: Barriers? We have a President who made a loud call to service. We have a Secretary of Education who directed service-learning for the Chicago Public Schools. Dollars are tight; still, staff-development funds are available in civic engagement, literacy, health, and transitions. (Learn and Serve America provides funds for states to promote service-learning in schools.)
Laying a solid foundation does require buy-in, though. Everyone needs to understand what service-learning is, how it works, and why it will make their school and community better.
CC!: Are the demands of No Child Left Behind and renewed emphasis on reading and math curtailing service-learning?
Kaye: One of my favorite quotes is “Doing more of what doesn’t work won’t make it work any better.” With dropout rates on the rise and teacher morale low, educators need strategies beyond just getting kids to show up. We need to make our classrooms places where students want to be. Service-learning, when done well, gives kids a reason to read, write, and compute.
People always ask, “How do you motivate kids?” I say I can’t motivate anyone; motivation comes from within. However, if I engage them in meaningful experiences they care about, they’ll likely choose to be motivated.
Do some people avoid service-learning because of NCLB or testing? Certainly. However, those who know the value of student engagement – who’ve experienced kids researching laws governing convalescent homes, who’ve seen students make a hiking trail accessible to people with disabilities, who’ve observed autistic students assist animals in a wildlife rescue center – know that service-learning is a means to raise test scores, exceed prescribed academic standards, and create an environment where learning and kids and teachers thrive.
CC!: In what ways does service-learning affect student character?
Kaye: In a myriad of ways. Endless ways. Fabulous, profound ways. A few examples: