Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Teaching and Building Character & My Week's Laugh

Today's blogs....

Blog City – Day 300!

Prompt: Where teaching in schools and universities are concerned, shouldn't character be as important as the intellect? Shouldn't students who are otherwise smart and capable be held responsible for the crimes they commit, such as bullying, robbery, rape, and destructiveness, or should we just overlook their crimes because they are so capable?

I have to blog on this... tired or not. Regardless of our mental capacity, particularly those of us who are within a cognitive level that should know better, we need to be responsible for ourselves and our actions. Getting off because of your smarts and capabilities is a crock. Getting off because others can pay things off for you is also a crock. You do the crime, you pay the full penalty of your actions.

Because children spend a great deal of time in school with teachers shaping our future generation, it is only right that they teach, model and incorporate aspects of building quality characters within the school community and within their individual classrooms.

I think it is very important to address character issues. Teaching should address the whole child - emotional, physical, and intellectual. Many schools I have worked in have character development as part of the school's community building. The Eight Keys of Excellence are addressed - often one a month each year. The eight keys are: Integrity, Failure Leads to Success, Speak With Good Purpose, This Is It! (make the most of each moment), Commitment, Ownership, Flexibility, and Balance.
This site defines each - http://www.8keys.org/8keys_defined.aspx

Each month the school community emphasizes a key. There is often an assembly and that is followed by follow-up in the classrooms. The teachers and students look for ways the students and everyone within the school community follows the key.

Another program that has been brought into many schools and classrooms is Tribes. I would love to take this!
http://tribes.com/

I think it is very important to address the whole child. The world is ever changing and we want our children to be able to be successful and part of being successful is being socially adept and building a character that makes them able to interact and work well with others.

Welcome To My Reality – Week Fifty – Four

2. What/Who made you laugh the hardest this week? Describe the situation.

I have been dipping back into my Facebook account this week. I have several people who send funny and uplifting messages, pictures and videos. I often find myself laughing.
This is cute:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152309933078908

This was also a cute bit... animals always bring a smile.
http://happyplace.someecards.com/dogs/this-mother-husky-playing-with-her-puppies...