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Character Education Chatboard

Teaching Character

by Karen M.

Jun 26, 2011

In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily.

You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. Amazing opportunities for teachable moments!

Politeness is to do and say, The nicest thing in the nicest way.

Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, it be...See MoreIn many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily.

You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. Amazing opportunities for teachable moments!

Politeness is to do and say, The nicest thing in the nicest way.

Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, it becomes a habit that they want to emulate. You know you've done a good job when you're handing out WORK, and you hand a child a paper, and they say "Thank You!" (sincerely!!). Remember to say "You're Welcome!" with sincerity.

As an adult, I've experienced teachable moments. I worked for a time as an IA. The teacher I worked with was new and young, yet I didn't boast about my experience. SHE was the teacher and I the assistant. Every day, I would ask her what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to work with a small group? Did she want me to do the hall bulletin board? Her answer was always the same. "Sure. Fine. Whatever. I don't care." I slowly began to realize that for all her youth and vitality, sadly, she truly didn't care. Teachers HAVE to care. You have to care about the little things: what color bulletin board border will I use this year? You have to care about the big things: where is his winter coat? Does he not have one?? Note to self, go talk to counselor and go to Children's Wear.

When children see you (for 1,170 hours) showing care, concern, and compassion for others, they learn that those are appropriate and good values to have. When someone sneezes, say "God Bless You". When someone coughs, ask "Are you okay?" When someone throws up (and in K they do a lot), it takes every bit of willpower not to dry heave or look disgusted and attend to the poor sick little one who didn't mean to throw up on your shoes. Always keep an extra pair of shoes at school, buy tissues in bulk, keep cool band aids on hand for real and imaginary boo boos, stash extra snacks for those kids who never have.

There will be hundreds of thousands of times in a year when you're at the end of your rope, it will be the last straw, you're about to be driven up the wall or around the bend. Take your pick. Patience. Take a deep breath. Count to ten slowly. Bite your tongue. You are being watched by impressionable children. How they see you react and respond in ANY situation is a huge teachable moment. I had an irate parent one day accost me in the classroom, when the children were there. I said "Excuse me" to the children, and then I "Ma'am-ed" the parent: Yes ma'am, no ma'am, oh I'm sure ma'am, never ma'am, absolutely not ma'am, yes ma'am, okay ma'am, you have a good day now ma'am. By the time she left, she was calm. I was shaking, but I hadn't raised my voice, I was calm on the outside, and I was polite. I notified my admin of the situation. At day's end, the same parent apologized to me. It was all a communication error. What did the children see? A calm, polite person dealing with a very angry person. Their teacher didn't yell, "go up in the face", curse, push, hit, or stomp. Teachable moments. There is more than one way to resolve a situation.

Character is politeness, compassion, integrity, respect, responsibility, truth, honor, honesty, and more. There are programs out there that can help, good children's books to read aloud, and posters that you can put up on the walls. A classroom teacher has many opportunities throughout the day to model and demonstrate positive character traits. We have these kids for 1,170 hours. That's 70,200 minutes. That's a lot of teachable moments.

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VET Lucky K's to have you for a teacher.

On 6/26/11, Karen M. wrote: > In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a > little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, > we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, > who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" > without prompting....See MoreLucky K's to have you for a teacher.

On 6/26/11, Karen M. wrote: > In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a > little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, > we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, > who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" > without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. > They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it > for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and > have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily. > > You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who > ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're > Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", > and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours > a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. > Amazing opportunities for teachable moments! > > Politeness is to do and say, > The nicest thing in the nicest way. > > Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a > good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, > it becomes a habit that they want to emulate. You know > you've done a good job when you're handing out WORK, and > you hand a child a paper, and they say "Thank You!" > (sincerely!!). Remember to say "You're Welcome!" with > sincerity. > > As an adult, I've experienced teachable moments. I worked > for a time as an IA. The teacher I worked with was new and > young, yet I didn't boast about my experience. SHE was the > teacher and I the assistant. Every day, I would ask her > what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to work with a > small group? Did she want me to do the hall bulletin > board? Her answer was always the same. "Sure. Fine. > Whatever. I don't care." I slowly began to realize that > for all her youth and vitality, sadly, she truly didn't > care. Teachers HAVE to care. You have to care about the > little things: what color bulletin board border will I use > this year? You have to care about the big things: where > is his winter coat? Does he not have one?? Note to self, > go talk to counselor and go to Children's Wear. > > When children see you (for 1,170 hours) showing care, > concern, and compassion for others, they learn that those > are appropriate and good values to have. When someone > sneezes, say "God Bless You". When someone coughs, > ask "Are you okay?" When someone throws up (and in K they > do a lot), it takes every bit of willpower not to dry heave > or look disgusted and attend to the poor sick little one > who didn't mean to throw up on your shoes. Always keep an > extra pair of shoes at school, buy tissues in bulk, keep > cool band aids on hand for real and imaginary boo boos, > stash extra snacks for those kids who never have. > > There will be hundreds of thousands of times in a year when > you're at the end of your rope, it will be the last straw, > you're about to be driven up the wall or around the bend. > Take your pick. Patience. Take a deep breath. Count to > ten slowly. Bite your tongue. You are being watched by > impressionable children. How they see you react and > respond in ANY situation is a huge teachable moment. I had > an irate parent one day accost me in the classroom, when > the children were there. I said "Excuse me" to the > children, and then I "Ma'am-ed" the parent: Yes ma'am, no > ma'am, oh I'm sure ma'am, never ma'am, absolutely not > ma'am, yes ma'am, okay ma'am, you have a good day now > ma'am. By the time she left, she was calm. I was shaking, > but I hadn't raised my voice, I was calm on the outside, > and I was polite. I notified my admin of the situation. > At day's end, the same parent apologized to me. It was all > a communication error. What did the children see? A calm, > polite person dealing with a very angry person. Their > teacher didn't yell, "go up in the face", curse, push, hit, > or stomp. Teachable moments. There is more than one way > to resolve a situation. > > Character is politeness, compassion, integrity, respect, > responsibility, truth, honor, honesty, and more. There are > programs out there that can help, good children's books to > read aloud, and posters that you can put up on the walls. > A classroom teacher has many opportunities throughout the > day to model and demonstrate positive character traits. We > have these kids for 1,170 hours. That's 70,200 minutes. > That's a lot of teachable moments. >

Jun 27, 2011

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Leah Excellent post Karen M.

You may want to read and/or share the following list:

wrote: >> In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a >> little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, >> we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, >> who can be polite and actually use ...See MoreExcellent post Karen M.

You may want to read and/or share the following list:

wrote: >> In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a >> little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, >> we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, >> who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" >> without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. >> They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it >> for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and >> have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily. >> >> You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who >> ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're >> Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", >> and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours >> a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. >> Amazing opportunities for teachable moments! >> >> Politeness is to do and say, >> The nicest thing in the nicest way. >> >> Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a >> good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, >> it becomes a habit that they want to emulate. You know >> you've done a good job when you're handing out WORK, and >> you hand a child a paper, and they say "Thank You!" >> (sincerely!!). Remember to say "You're Welcome!" with >> sincerity. >> >> As an adult, I've experienced teachable moments. I worked >> for a time as an IA. The teacher I worked with was new and >> young, yet I didn't boast about my experience. SHE was the >> teacher and I the assistant. Every day, I would ask her >> what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to work with a >> small group? Did she want me to do the hall bulletin >> board? Her answer was always the same. "Sure. Fine. >> Whatever. I don't care." I slowly began to realize that >> for all her youth and vitality, sadly, she truly didn't >> care. Teachers HAVE to care. You have to care about the >> little things: what color bulletin board border will I use >> this year? You have to care about the big things: where >> is his winter coat? Does he not have one?? Note to self, >> go talk to counselor and go to Children's Wear. >> >> When children see you (for 1,170 hours) showing care, >> concern, and compassion for others, they learn that those >> are appropriate and good values to have. When someone >> sneezes, say "God Bless You". When someone coughs, >> ask "Are you okay?" When someone throws up (and in K they >> do a lot), it takes every bit of willpower not to dry heave >> or look disgusted and attend to the poor sick little one >> who didn't mean to throw up on your shoes. Always keep an >> extra pair of shoes at school, buy tissues in bulk, keep >> cool band aids on hand for real and imaginary boo boos, >> stash extra snacks for those kids who never have. >> >> There will be hundreds of thousands of times in a year when >> you're at the end of your rope, it will be the last straw, >> you're about to be driven up the wall or around the bend. >> Take your pick. Patience. Take a deep breath. Count to >> ten slowly. Bite your tongue. You are being watched by >> impressionable children. How they see you react and >> respond in ANY situation is a huge teachable moment. I had >> an irate parent one day accost me in the classroom, when >> the children were there. I said "Excuse me" to the >> children, and then I "Ma'am-ed" the parent: Yes ma'am, no >> ma'am, oh I'm sure ma'am, never ma'am, absolutely not >> ma'am, yes ma'am, okay ma'am, you have a good day now >> ma'am. By the time she left, she was calm. I was shaking, >> but I hadn't raised my voice, I was calm on the outside, >> and I was polite. I notified my admin of the situation. >> At day's end, the same parent apologized to me. It was all >> a communication error. What did the children see? A calm, >> polite person dealing with a very angry person. Their >> teacher didn't yell, "go up in the face", curse, push, hit, >> or stomp. Teachable moments. There is more than one way >> to resolve a situation. >> >> Character is politeness, compassion, integrity, respect, >> responsibility, truth, honor, honesty, and more. There are >> programs out there that can help, good children's books to >> read aloud, and posters that you can put up on the walls. >> A classroom teacher has many opportunities throughout the >> day to model and demonstrate positive character traits. We >> have these kids for 1,170 hours. That's 70,200 minutes. >> That's a lot of teachable moments. >>

Jul 6, 2011

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Ona Karen, you are truly an inspiration! I enjoyed your post.

Just to offer some defense for the young teacher you worked with as an assistant. Perhaps she was so overwhelmed by her new career she may have just appeared not to care. I've watched several young teachers new to the profession from afar and some seem to glaze-over when they hit t...See MoreKaren, you are truly an inspiration! I enjoyed your post.

Just to offer some defense for the young teacher you worked with as an assistant. Perhaps she was so overwhelmed by her new career she may have just appeared not to care. I've watched several young teachers new to the profession from afar and some seem to glaze-over when they hit the classroom door. Of course there are those that are masterful from day one, but for most mere mortals its a growing experience.

There are several things I think are going on with many new teachers, who may sometimes appear not to care. I think just like our young students, they sometimes put on a front, to hide their insecurities. I also don't think they've all been prepared properly coming out of college for the rigors of the profession. Unfortuneately their so called mentors are often too busy in their own classrooms to provide useful or timely guidance. And lastly, I think in general kids just leaving college are still all about themselves and have to grow into being passionate about teaching.

I sometimes wonder if I could of made it as a teacher if I were just starting out as a teacher today. Now days teaching is far more demanding than it was 30 years ago, when I first started out. If new teachers can make it passed the first few year mark, and not be scared off by the pressures of test results among others, then hopefully they're true caring will grow with every year.

On 6/27/11, VET wrote: > Lucky K's to have you for a teacher. > > > On 6/26/11, Karen M. wrote: >> In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a >> little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, >> we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, >> who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" >> without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. >> They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it >> for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and >> have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily. >> >> You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who >> ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're >> Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", >> and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours >> a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. >> Amazing opportunities for teachable moments! >> >> Politeness is to do and say, >> The nicest thing in the nicest way. >> >> Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a >> good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, >> it becomes a habit that they want to emulate. You know >> you've done a good job when you're handing out WORK, and >> you hand a child a paper, and they say "Thank You!" >> (sincerely!!). Remember to say "You're Welcome!" with >> sincerity. >> >> As an adult, I've experienced teachable moments. I worked >> for a time as an IA. The teacher I worked with was new and >> young, yet I didn't boast about my experience. SHE was the >> teacher and I the assistant. Every day, I would ask her >> what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to work with a >> small group? Did she want me to do the hall bulletin >> board? Her answer was always the same. "Sure. Fine. >> Whatever. I don't care." I slowly began to realize that >> for all her youth and vitality, sadly, she truly didn't >> care. Teachers HAVE to care. You have to care about the >> little things: what color bulletin board border will I use >> this year? You have to care about the big things: where >> is his winter coat? Does he not have one?? Note to self, >> go talk to counselor and go to Children's Wear. >> >> When children see you (for 1,170 hours) showing care, >> concern, and compassion for others, they learn that those >> are appropriate and good values to have. When someone >> sneezes, say "God Bless You". When someone coughs, >> ask "Are you okay?" When someone throws up (and in K they >> do a lot), it takes every bit of willpower not to dry heave >> or look disgusted and attend to the poor sick little one >> who didn't mean to throw up on your shoes. Always keep an >> extra pair of shoes at school, buy tissues in bulk, keep >> cool band aids on hand for real and imaginary boo boos, >> stash extra snacks for those kids who never have. >> >> There will be hundreds of thousands of times in a year when >> you're at the end of your rope, it will be the last straw, >> you're about to be driven up the wall or around the bend. >> Take your pick. Patience. Take a deep breath. Count to >> ten slowly. Bite your tongue. You are being watched by >> impressionable children. How they see you react and >> respond in ANY situation is a huge teachable moment. I had >> an irate parent one day accost me in the classroom, when >> the children were there. I said "Excuse me" to the >> children, and then I "Ma'am-ed" the parent: Yes ma'am, no >> ma'am, oh I'm sure ma'am, never ma'am, absolutely not >> ma'am, yes ma'am, okay ma'am, you have a good day now >> ma'am. By the time she left, she was calm. I was shaking, >> but I hadn't raised my voice, I was calm on the outside, >> and I was polite. I notified my admin of the situation. >> At day's end, the same parent apologized to me. It was all >> a communication error. What did the children see? A calm, >> polite person dealing with a very angry person. Their >> teacher didn't yell, "go up in the face", curse, push, hit, >> or stomp. Teachable moments. There is more than one way >> to resolve a situation. >> >> Character is politeness, compassion, integrity, respect, >> responsibility, truth, honor, honesty, and more. There are >> programs out there that can help, good children's books to >> read aloud, and posters that you can put up on the walls. >> A classroom teacher has many opportunities throughout the >> day to model and demonstrate positive character traits. We >> have these kids for 1,170 hours. That's 70,200 minutes. >> That's a lot of teachable moments. >>

Jul 13, 2011

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