Excellence:

Go above and beyond what is expected.  Aim for the highest possible point of achievement.  Work for excellence even if you don't like the task.  Practicing excellence is an opportunity to use the other character traits:  Respect the person that has given you the task;  be responsible to do the job; it requires self-discipline to do a task well; be kind to others during the process; persevere to get it done; use good judgment in choosing how to do the task; have the courage to do the task with integrity.  Your work will be a reflection of you.  Will the reflection be of a person of excellence?

Good Judgment:

Excellent power to judge well.  The ability to make good decisions in the face of pressure.

Integrity:

To live and tell the truth

• If you believe that lying is wrong, do you live like you believe it?  

• If you make a promise, honor your commitment.  

• Integrity is doing the right thing no matter the outcome or what anyone else is doing.  (An important thing to remember here is to KNOW what the right thing is.  If you don't know what the right thing is, ask someone.

Perseverance: Stick-To-It-ness

Perseverance is the ability to stick to something and complete a task even though difficult circumstance may try to prohibit you finishing. You set a goal, make a commitment to complete the goal and follow through on your commitment. Sometimes, the follow-through is the difficult part.

In school, you can practice perseverance by being a good student. For example, setting a goal to make a "100" on your spelling test. Your commitment is to do your homework every night in spelling and study your words. By Thursday evening, you are reviewing your words and know how to spell each one.

At home, you practice perseverance by being a good family member. For example, setting a goal to keep your room cleaned. You start by doing a big clean-up on a day like Saturday when you have plenty of time to complete the job. If your room is very messy, you may want to work for 30 minutes in one area, then take a 10 minute break. Hopefully, by lunch time, your room will be completely cleaned. The commitment comes when you decide and follow-through on keeping your room cleaned daily.

Perseverance is such a fine character trait. One everyone needs to work on daily - children and adults. Start today! It’s a lifetime skill.

The Character Education trait for January is self-discipline. What exactly is self-discipline? It is the control of your own behaviors. It is learning to take control of your emotions, thinking through your behavior before you react, and taking responsibility for the way you feel. As with most everything, communications and interpretations are of utmost importance. This means the emphasis is placed on how I respond and how you perceive my response needs to be the same. I can say "I am sorry for calling you a name" but if I holler it or I don't look at you with remorse, then you probably won't believe me.

A situation involving self-discipline is to think about what your reaction would be if someone stepped on your foot while you are walking in the hallway. What would you do? Self-discipline says you should not react, rather respond. Did the person step on your foot on purpose or was it an accident? Let's assume it was an accident as our first response. Then you would simply resume walking or step out of line if your foot is hurt. If it was purposeful, your response should be the same. Hopefully, the other person will apologize. But, you are only in charge of your own behavior and cannot make the other person apologize. These are positive ways to respond.

Negative ways to react may be to holler at the other person or turn around and threaten to hit them or actually hit them. These are not good ways to respond and often times we get in trouble for behaving this way. This is definitely not self-discipline but lack of control.

With self-discipline you choose to follow the rules; to do the right thing; to treat others the way you want to be treated. You are "in-charge" of yourself and you have the power to control your behaviors. It is the right choice to make every time.

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Kindness is showing you care about someone or something. You can show kindness in big or small ways. If your mom is sick, you can show kindness by not arguing with your brother or sister. This will give mom a chance to rest. You can show kindness by sharing a pencil with a classmate. Kindness makes others feel good. It can also make others want to be kind to you.

People who lack kindness are selfish. They only think about themselves. Being selfish means not helping others, including animals. Without kindness man people and animals feel lonely. When you practice kindness on a daily basis you take care of yourself, animals and the world around you. Being kind makes the world a better place for everyone and everything. The secret to practicing kindness is to remember to treat others like you want to be treated.

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Courage 

"We become brave by doing brave acts" according to Aristotle. Our Character Education word for the month of November is courage. Courage is the ability to face danger or difficult situations. A courageous person overcomes weaknesses and hardships despite being fearful. Courage is often associated with heroism, bravery and fortitude. Courage also implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger.

Courage gives us strength to accomplish difficult tasks and helps us do the right thing even when we are scared or frightened. Courage comes from the heart and allows us to be persistent and strong.

I have been talking to the students about drug-awareness. I was telling them how it takes courage to say "no" when we see someone doing drugs or when someone offers us drugs whether it be now or in the future when they are teenagers or older. Sometimes, we have to say "no", even if it means losing a friendship. Talk to your children about drugs and about peer pressure. It starts early and leaves lasting impressions. Teach them to be courageous now.

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Responsibility

Responsibility...what does it mean? We all have many things we are responsible for like brushing our teeth at least 2 times a day, getting dressed, taking a bath every day. But do I really know what it means in my heart? Responsibility has action; it means I am accountability to do certain things. It is the ability to respond!

When I am responsible, I am eager and willing to help others; I want to fulfill my obligations and duties; and I want to contribute to those around me in a positive way. In other words, I have in my heart the eagerness to make things right around me and within me.

Often times, I am put in a position to make a decision. Sometimes, it's automatic for me to make the right decision like brushing my teeth, bathing and getting dressed. But, sometimes, it's hard for me to make the right decision, like doing my homework in math because I don't like math or reading every night when I really don't like to read.

In making the right decisions, I am being responsible. When I make a mistake or don't make the right decision, I can still be responsible by accepting the consequences for doing wrong. Being responsible benefits everyone - me, my family, my friends, and my teachers! They all know that I am dependable, honest and trustworthy when I am responsible.

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Respect

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!! What is respect? Aretha Franklin's song says that she wants her man to treat her right. The dictionary defines respect as "positive esteem felt or shown toward a person or property." It may mean different things to different people. However, your actions speak louder than your words. If I do not show someone or something that I respect them, they may not know that I do.

Respectful behaviors will include:

*Smiling or saying hello when someone talks to you

*Looking at people when they talk to you

*Listening to someone who is speaking to you

*Sharing

*Saying "I'm sorry"

Disrespectful behaviors may be:

*not saying hello or smiling when someone greets you

*Laughing at someone when they have an accident, like falling down in the classroom

*Borrowing something from someone without permission

*Walking away from someone who is talking to you

*Telling someone you are not their friend because they didn't play tag with you then

People respect other people when they know they can trust them, when they are loyal, and when they do what they say they will do. Most of us respect people who are kind and considerate of others, who tell the truth even when its tough to do, and who handle problems without acting crazy.

We also need to be respectful of ourselves. Think of a time when you felt proud. Maybe you helped someone who needed and wanted your help. Or perhaps you were tempted to do something that might have hurt someone, like gossiping or telling a secret, but you stopped yourself. Maybe you told the truth, even though it was hard, or refused to go along when other friends did something wrong.

Respect is both given and received. In other words, you treat other people and property how you would like to be treated. For example, if Mrs. Jackie lets you borrow a book from the library, you should return it on time and in good condition. Be respectful of other people, other things and of yourself! It is a lifetime skill!

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