Pupils learn to build honesty, respect
Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007
Tyson Middle School pupils received a visit from M. C. Afro on Friday.
M. C. Afro, who doubles as motivational speaker Ron Harris, appeared at a school assembly to charge up pupils about Tyson’s character education program, Paths 4 Teens.
Wearing an afro-style wig, black sunglasses and a bowling shirt speckled with color, M. C. Afro laid out the fundamentals of the program.
Paths 4 Teens teaches pupils that everyone has a personality type — earth, wind, fire or water — and understanding personality types makes for more effective communication.
Character education programs like Paths 4 Teens have taken on a more prominent role in Northwest Arkansas schools in recent years, school officials said.
It’s no longer adequate for educators to graduate pupils well versed in reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s also expected that pupils graduate with straight A’s in the game of life. TEACHING RIGHT AND WRONG Character education, at its essence, is any school-based program that teaches pupils to do the right thing.
Some programs are elaborate and involve significant resources, while others are simple and don’t cost a dime. Some programs target at-risk pupils, while others operate schoolwide. Some character education curricula are purchased by schools, while others are developed in house.
All character education programs in public schools are supposed to veer away from teaching religious definitions of rightness, and instead focus on building universally agreed-upon positive character traits like honesty and respect.
Marvin Berkowitz, the Sanford N. McDonnell professor of character education at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, said character education entered a boom period in the early 1990 s when the nation saw upswings in gangs, violence and drug use among pupils.
That coincided with a recognition among educators, Berkowitz said, that many pupils were not receiving the schooling in right and wrong from their parents that they used to.
Linda Haley, director of counseling for the Rogers School District, has witnessed this shift first-hand.
“If you ask a lot of kids what the Golden Rule is, they don’t know what you’re talking about,” Haley said. “Do we wish we didn’t have to do this ? Sure. But the time we take to do it pays off.” Pupils with strong character are less likely to cause disciplinary problems and more likely to take their work seriously, Haley said.
The key to an effective program, Berkowitz said, is that it is research-based. Many character education programs school administrators implement, particularly those whose curricula are supplied by outside organizations, are not, he said.
Such programs energize pupils temporarily, but don’t lead to lasting character change.
“A lot of this stuff is utter nonsense,” Berkowitz said. “Character education is fundamentally about comprehensive school reform that starts with the principal and then becomes a part of the culture of the school.” GOVERNMENT SUPPORTIVE State and federal law encourages character education in public schools.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 authorized federal grants that pay for schools to develop local character education programs. The programs must be nonsectarian and consistent with state academic standards. The programs can teach elements of character like caring, fairness and trustworthiness, according to the law.
Congress appropriated $ 24. 2 million in fiscal 2006 for the program, according to the U. S. Department of Education.
In Arkansas, House Bill 1509 of 1997 required the formation of a state character education and citizenship clearinghouse. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee spoke in favor of the bill to the General Assembly’s House Education Committee at that time.
The bill acknowledged that “character and citizenship education must be strengthened in public school to prepare young people for positive dealings with the social order of today.” Julie Johnson Thompson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Education, states in an e-mail that the state conducted training in “Character-Centered Teaching” around the state following the passage of the state law.
Schools in the Van Buren, North Little Rock, Hot Springs, Eudora and Corning school districts piloted Character-Centered Teaching programs. Staff at each school received professional development training, and state officials made site visits.
The state continues to send handbooks to Arkansas schools on Character-Centered Teaching, but funding for continued training ran out years ago, Thompson said. FOSTERING UNDERSTANDING Every school in the Springdale School District has some type of character education program.
At Tyson, Paths 4 Teens is a character education program based on the work of Laurie Beth Jones, the author of such books as The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and Life and Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership.
Cozy Dixon, a regional director for Paths 4 Teens, said the program originally was developed for the corporate world to help with team building and the hiring process.
Dixon said she’s led training seminars at Tyson, Purina and Nestle corporations.
She also trained football coach Gus Malzahn in Laurie Beth Jones’ principles when he was head coach at Springdale High School.
Paths 4 Teens is relatively new. It’s been piloted in Texas and Arizona, Dixon said, but never before in Arkansas.
The Laurie Beth Jones Foundation is donating more than $ 8, 000 to pilot the program at Tyson.
The project started three years ago with 12 pupils. This year, more than 400 will participate.
Laura Venters, the teacher who coordinates Paths at Tyson, said pupils will meet twice weekly during lunch to work the program.
It involves learning about the various personality types, completing their own personality profiles and designing a “mission statement” for life. The goal is to encourage more effective communication among classmates.
C. J. Spear, one of 48 Tyson pupils who participated in Paths 4 Teens last year, said the program works. C. J., a seventh-grader, said he used to fight constantly during recess with his friend Josh. Josh, he said, always would break the rules of the games they played, which drove C. J. crazy. The fighting stopped after C. J. went through Paths 4 Teens ’ training and realized Josh is a “Wind.” Wind people are free spirits with tons of energy and spontaneity. But that also makes them restless, unpredictable and impulsive.
C. J. said Josh’s wind nature made it hard for him to obey the rules of their games.
The fights ended when the friends abandoned the games for less structured activities like climbing on the playground monkey bars.
“It can help anybody,” C. J. said.
Just a few blocks away, nearby Tyson Elementary School also has a character education program.
School officials developed it themselves in the early 1990 s.
Principal Lola Malone said state officials pulled concepts from it when developing Character-Centered Teaching.
Malone committed to building a character education program when a parent cursed at her in front of his child.
“I thought, ‘I can’t change what’s going on at home, but we have them eight hours a day, so we can influence them to make right choices, ’” she said. “We can teach character along with the curriculum.” The program revolves around a set of 30 “character words.” “Responsibility” is first on the list. “Confidence” is last.
The school focuses on one word a month. Teachers display the word on their classroom walls prominently.
Pupils discuss its meaning and talk about ways to practice the positive character trait. Pupils note in journals the ways in which they put their character word into practice. Teachers recognize pupils each week when they do.
Malone said the program has built a culture of character in her school.
“We could tell the difference the first year we did it. There was less back talking, less fights, more orderliness in the hallways, just more of a general atmosphere of caring in the school,” she said. “It’s probably the best thing we’ve ever done.” PROGRAMS EXPANDING School officials say character education is going to take on an even larger role in schools. Fayetteville School District is putting more resources into character education than ever, said Dick Johnson, the district’s assistant superintendent for student life. Public school officials now view character as a foundation for success beyond school, right up there with academics, Johnson said. Universities and employers are starting to use character to differentiate applicants who boast similar academic records, he said. “And it’s a lot more than being a member of the Spanish Club. It’s more about what have you done that wasn’t designed to build your resume ? What is revealing of your real character ?” Johnson said. “If that’s going to be the criteria for businesses and colleges to gauge success, then schools have to look at ways to build it.” Fayetteville is in the midst of designing computer-based resumes for pupils that track grades as well as character. The digital resumes will include inventories of each pupils’ community service and civic involvement history, along with a record of participation in extracurricular events. “Our kids in elementary school now should graduate with full digital resumes from our schools,” Johnson said. “It’s a different world, and that’s what we are educating them for.” To contact this reporter: jkrupa@arkansasonline. com
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