Our (08-17-09)

Our. Is there a nicer word in the English language? It says so much. Our lives. Our world. Our country. Our state. Our town. Our school. Our children. Our future. It says that we are in this together. We all have a part to play and we all have ownership in something.

The 2009-2010 theme for Hill City Grade School is “Our character counts.” It is a continuation of last year’s theme, “It’s our world. We care.” It continues the idea that the education and the success of our children is up to us. All of us.

This is an important year for our kids, in that it marks the beginning of an effort to formally examine and discuss character. I am thrilled to part of the “Character Counts” district wide character education program, and I have great hopes for our ability to use the program to instill in our children positive character traits.

The program is based on the six pillars of Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship (together, the first letter of each spells TRRFCC!). These pillars are not curriculum, or content to be explicitly taught. Rather they represent an underlying foundation upon which we believe our students can learn. The pillars remind us that good character sustains all else we accomplish.

Of course, our schools have always been teaching kids about good character. I have had countless conversations with kids about choices they have made and the impact of their behavior.

The thing is, though, the conversations I have are bound to be somewhat different than the conversations Mr. Stein has with his students, or different than the conversations the teachers or the bus drivers or the cooks have with students.

All of this talk about character has already had a positive impact. Our students, by and large, regularly make positive behavior choices and demonstrator good character on a regular basis. But for all our successes, we as a district asked ourselves if we could do an even better job of teaching character education to kids.

Reflection on this central question led to our decision to adopt the Character Counts Six Pillar model. Now, the conversations will use a common vocabulary, the message delivered will be more consistent, and the very definition of what makes for good character will be clearly explained in every classroom, every hallway, every bus, and every other space in our school.

What is most exciting is the fact that our staff has bought into this program. First through the steering committee, then though a district leadership team, and finally through district in-service training, our teachers and staff seem to understand and support the effort to present a consistent, district-wide message about character.

This year I chose to approach the creation of a yearly theme differently. Instead of coming up with the theme all on my own, I asked for teacher input (and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Times for moving back my deadline to give me a chance to ask the teachers for their input!). It didn’t take long for them to decide. This is the year we are introducing Character Counts. Everyone seems excited and optimistic about the program. Everyone is on board and we are ready to do our part.

It is our character education program. It will affect our kids. And, at the end of the day, it our character that counts the most in the success of each and every student.