School Needs

Effective community-wide character education requires advance preparation and commitment from everyone. That is because character education teaches students to recognize honorable behavior and its absence. The district cannot tolerate a double standard of behavior and expect the lessons to succeed.

Everyone should be exposed to the concepts.

“Everyone” includes Administrators, Secretaries, Unions, Security Staff, Cafeteria Staff, Coaches, Teachers, Students, Maintenance Staff and Parents.

For teachers, sessions on the possibilities. While everyone needs to understand their responsibilities, teachers have the extra obligation to integrate it into the curriculum.

Everyone needs to master the value of the concepts, which require nothing more than understanding the mission of the district.

Periodic brief readings can be made available by email or on the web.

Demonstration of mastery or understanding is important.

Participation may mean change.

Some teachers don‚t care to do things that are different from what they have been currently doing.

They still have an obligation to their students and the district which may extra discusson to assure understanding.

Everyone needs to learn how to treat others with respect.

A few staff have the habit of operating by intimidation. Their preferred style is to exert authority in a loud and demeaning way.

The moral authority shouldn’t be the power authority.

At each school, every constituency should be represented in a board ˆ students, teachers, staff, parents, administrators, Board of Education members. Their only authority is the power to discuss and to understand.