-Student+Ethics+and+Character+Development


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Student Ethics and Character Development ** __ research and explore techniques and methodologies to promote positive discipline, ethical behavior, and character development || __Group Members:__

1.Jane Mayo: Facilitator 2.Denise Brown: Recorder 3.Marti Brooks 4.Lynn Granello 5.Euclides Jasso 6.John Walker || · Articulate the mission and essential questions related to your topic and post on your wiki page. · Determine the scope of research and responsibility of each member of the group. · Create an estimated timeline for your project. · Report your progress after each meeting on the wiki page.
 * ** Focus Group Guidelines **

1. State the Mission of your Focus Group:  2. Develop Essential Questions to guide your research  3. Collect, organize and validate data about your topic. This may take many forms such as notes from other schools, student responses, testing, implementation and application of ideas.  4. Analyze information collected.  5. Reflect on findings and the relationship to the mission of your focus group.  6. Present findings to the full faculty. This may take the form of a proposal or a sharing. //Support and resources are available as requested.// || **__Mission Statement__ The mission of our focus group is :
 * The mission of our focus group is: to** **research, explore and discuss models fof character development in the classroom.**
 * to research
 * explore
 * and discuss models for character development in the classroom

__Essential Questions:__

1. How do we teach character?

2. Do we promote Character development across all levels at St. Johns'?

3. What is the Episcopal Model for Character Education?

4. Do we want to implement a school wide character development curriculum?

5. Do we want to have a reward system for good character?

6. How do you teach kids to rise to high character?

7. What is the role of Chapel in relation to character development.

8. Should Character Education be an intregral part of the overall curriculum.** || Notes: In this intial meeting, the Character Development Group * created a mission statement > "May we use professional development time to research other's educational models in the Dallas/Ft. Worth private school system?" ||
 * **Oct. 7th**
 * eight essential questions to guide us through our research.
 * Within the discussion, a question about time to pursue our research was posed:
 * **Dec 2: __Initial direction:__**

Based of the results of the interview we will consider the possibility of the following.
 * We are going to interview Father Corley to find out his charter in regard to Character Development.**


 * Each member of this focus group will contact area schools to inquire about character development they have implemented. (Greenhill, ESD, Good Shepard, Parish)
 * Possibility of Virtue of the Month


 * We also are looking at Character Development sites for alternative curriculum directions**;
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 * We have determined that as a result of our school's unique relationship to St. John's Episcopal Church, it would be beneficial to further understand the direction of the church and possibly coordinate our studies in tandem.** ||
 * **Jan. 6, 2010**

Jane Mayo met with with Father Corley: He said that he was in charge of religious education in Chapel but that he would be interested in seeing where this research in Character Education goes. At this time there is no formal policy from Church to School in formal character education. The Chaplan is in charge of Religious Education in chapel which involves character education. Same Terminlogy for Character Development throughout grade levels: Character of the Month (virtues) When recommendations are made by Character Education Focus Group to the school, Father Corley is open to being of assistance with a possibility of informal coordination.
 * __Father Corley Interview__**

We have determined that it would be most prudent to assemble teams for individual research. Each team within the focus group will call their chosen Episcopal school to determine if these schools have a formal character development curriculum. We will also attempt to ascertain how their community supports their students in character development and if possible meet with the person/s in charge. Once determined, each team will compare notes and decide how to proceed from there.
 * __Notes__**

__**Character Development Research Teams:**__

Marti Brooks Denise Brown

Euclides Jasso John Walker A

Lynn Granello Jane Mayo

We also discussed the invaluable role of Sports in character education as this is a good forum for setting the right standards and to show student through modeling how to best negotiate character traps. At St. John's, good sportmanship is even more important than the number of games won or lost. We believe St. John's coaches model character development throughout their relationships with parents, children and opposing teams. || email from Liz Fitzgerald, Head of Upper Elementary Canterbury School Ms. Mayo,
 * __Additional Thoughts__**
 * Feb. 17, 2010

In grade k-12, we have a thirty minute divisional chapel once a week and a one hour Eucharaist service on Thursdays with the entire student body. These chapel services use the Book of Common Prayer as a guide. Additionally, in 4-6, homeroom teachers have a fifteen miunte Christian Education class,three times a week to start the day. As our curriculum, we use __Creating Classrooms and Home of Virtue: A Resource for Elementary Teachers and Families__ by Margaret D. Walding, published by the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education, Atlanta, GA. We focus on a different Character trait each month. The curriculum is set up in a two-year cycle. It has proven to be a good resource for us. K-3 uses this resource as well. The Middle and Upper School attend the divisional and Eucharist chapels. Middle School takes Old and New Testament and World Religions. Upper School takes ethics and theology. I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if there are any other questions that I can answer for you. Sincerely, Liz Fitzgerald Head of Upper Elementary || **Notes from Feb. 17**

We will be ordering three books:
 * 1) The Essential 55
 * 2) Seven Habits of Effective People
 * 3) Book of Virtues

Possibiltiy of Virtue of the Month showcased on Crusader Live. || January 14, 2010 Good Shepherd Episcopal School Steve Granseth MS Head 214-357-1610 Does not have a program, per se but: - Teachers take advantage of opportunities that come up to teach values - Advisor responsibilities - Use Steven Covey’s “7 Habits of Successful people” - Retreats for all grades in MS, beginning with 5th grade ( one day or overnight retreats at Spring Hill Retreat Center) - Have chapel 3 days a week - MS students tutor at an Elementary School for 40 minutes (reading) once a week. (optional 70 out of 110 kids do it) - School had great diverstity…a vibrant group of Muslin students (about 20) - And some Pakistan students. - Virtues and character building across the board - Is not a bible pounding school - Chaplin teaches a “pull out” class for 5th and 6th graders apporx. 10 days out of the year - Chaplin also teaches 7th Grade Humanities (Trimester long) - Chaplin teaches 8th grade Ethics class (2 weeks long) ||  ||
 * __**Results from inquiries to Good Shepard about Character Development**__
 * April 7, 2010

In preparation for the faculty presentation, we have concluded through our reseach that all of the Episcopal School contacted in the Dallas/Ft. Worth vicinity have some character development curiculum. All of the character development programs are run by the school chaplin and all of the lower school programs incorporate a 'virtue of the month" which is introduced and periodically discussed in chapel and reinforced by the classroom teachers. There are a number of methods that the school reward the students for applying the values learned one of which is to honor specific students who personify that value for that time period.
 * __Character Development Presentation/ May 12th__**

There were differences in the approach from Lower School to Middle School.

> > //**Our recommendation is that it would be prudent for St. John's Episcopal to adopt a more formal character development program. One possibility for achieving this would be to have this program initiated in chapel, and reinforced/integrated within the classroom curriculum.**// ||  || ** Virtue of the Month  ** ** Middle School 2009-2010  ** Service is giving to others, making a difference in their lives. You consider their needs as important as your own. Be helpful without waiting to be asked. Do every job with excellence. When you act with a spirit of service, you can change the world. Practicing justice is being fair. It is solving problems so everyone wins. You don’t prejudge. You see people as individuals. You don’t accept it when someone acts like a bully, cheats or lies. Being a champion for justice takes courage. Sometimes when you stand for justice, you stand alone. Commitment is caring deeply about something or someone. It is deciding carefully what you want to do, then giving it 100%, holding nothing back. You give your all to a friendship, a task, or something you believe in. You finish what you start. You keep your promises. Being prepared is having a clear focus. Begin with a vision for what you want to accomplish, and concentrate on your goals. Do one thing at a time, without scattering your energies. Some people let things happen. When you are prepared, you make things happen. Excellence is doing your best, giving careful attention to every task and every relationship. Excellence is effort guided by a noble purpose. It is a desire for perfection. The perfection of a seed comes in the fruit. When you practice excellence, you bring your gifts to fruition. Excellence is the key to success. Trust is having faith in someone or something. It is a positive attitude about life. You are confident that the right thing will happen without trying to control it or make it happen. Even when difficult things happen, trust helps us to find the gift or lesson in it. We show citizenship by speaking and acting with courtesy and respect for everyone and everything around us. We treat others with dignity and honor the rules of our family, school and nation. Being humble is considering others as important as yourself. You are thoughtful of their needs and willing to be of service. You don’t expect others or yourself to be perfect. You learn from your mistakes. When you do great things, humility reminds you to be thankful instead of boastful. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Integrity is living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere. Integrity helps you to listen to your conscience, to do the right thing, and to tell the truth. You act with integrity when your words and actions match. Integrity gives you self-respect and a peaceful heart. ||  ||
 * All Lower Schools** focused:**virtues of the month**
 * Middle School** focused on more specifics:
 * **ESD**: Active Faith and Service
 * **Parish**: personal habits
 * **Good Shepard**: virtues and character building across the board
 * **__Virtues of the Month__**
 * September Service **
 * October Justice **
 * November Commitment **
 * December Preparation **
 * January Excellence **
 * February Trust **
 * March Citizenship  **
 * April Humility  **
 * May Integrity  **