All in Good Order — Some people are naturally more organized than others, but anyone can learn organizational skills. Becoming and staying organized can help students perform better at school while reducing stress. This is a great opportunity for students to think about the benefits of becoming and staying organized as they begin the new school year.
Key Ideas: Benefits of Staying Organized - Organizational Skills - Reducing Stress
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility

At the Core — Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, once said that "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." Students explore the notion that deciding which core values will guide them through life is one of the most important decisions they will ever make.
Key Ideas: Making choices is easier when you know what your values are - Determining one's core ethical values
Character Traits: Integrity - Respect - Responsibility - Caring

Choices: The Road Ahead — Every day we make choices, and every choice comes with a consequence. A wise person strives to make good decisions, decisions that will reap the best outcomes. A stubborn or unaware person will continually make unwise choices, and in the process, he or she will live a life less fortunate than that of the wiser one.
Key Ideas: Choices - Consequences
Character Traits: Responsibility - Self-Discipline

Choices: You're Not the Boss of Me! — One of the hardest things about being a teenager is having to bite your tongue when you want to say, "Hey, you're not the boss of me!" But the truth is, until you learn how to "boss yourself," somebody has to do the job or you might be making some truly unwise decisions.
Key Ideas: Choices - Authority - Freedom
Character Traits: Responsibility - Self-Management

Did You Do That On Purpose?: National Be On Purpose Month: * — Life can be so random at times. It can be confusing and challenging. For life to make sense, it has to have meaning. It has to have purpose, and having purpose in our lives is something we choose because when we do anything on purpose, we do it deliberately. Students explore the importance of choosing a worthy purpose in their lives.
Key Ideas: Making Good Choices - Goal Setting
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility

Directing Your Own Life — Every time students act responsibly, they earn more trust. With that trust usually comes more freedom to choose. Being trustworthy can mean making some tough short-term choices, but long-term, it can mean having greater control over one's future. Students explore the idea that the benefits of making responsible decisions far outweigh the costs.
Key Ideas: Taking responsibility for one's choices and actions - Taking responsibility builds trust which can create more freedom in our lives.
Character Traits: Personal Responsibility - Trustworthiness

Doing What's Right * — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. faced many difficult decisions in his life. With these materials, students have an opportunity to reflect on the fact that each of us faces many decisions each day. Some may be very difficult, but whatever the situation, we can learn from Dr. King's example by using these opportunities to do the right thing.
Key Ideas: Awareness of our daily choices - Doing the right thing
Character Traits: Moral Courage - Integrity - Honesty
Note: This message and lesson plan also work well for Black History Month and/or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Day.

Don't Be Late — For the most part, whether we ourselves are punctual or not, we expect others to be punctual. We expect movies to begin at showtime, and ambulances to arrive promptly. Students explore the notion that being tardy or late not only is discourteous but can have serious consequences for ourselves and others.
Key Ideas: Punctuality - Tardiness
Character Traits: Responsibility - Punctuality - Courtesy - Respect

Here Comes Tomorrow — Students are often tempted to put things off until tomorrow, but moving their responsibilities forward does not make them go away. In fact, it can make them seem bigger and more stressful. In this plan, students consider the negative consequences of procrastination and explore tools and strategies for staying on top of things.
Key Ideas: Procrastination - Tools for Overcoming Procrastination
Character Traits: Self-Management - Responsibility

It's Magic! (Integrity) — Each time students are faced with a choice between doing what they know is right and doing what is wrong, they have the opportunity to choose a life of integrity and to enjoy the riches that come with such a life.
Key Ideas: Standing Up For Your Beliefs - Speaking Out Against Wrong - Creating Real Success
Character Traits: Integrity - Honesty - Courage

Look Who's Watching — We may get by with some poor choices when we think nobody's looking, but there's one very important person who is always watching - ourself, and our opinion of ourself matters. Students explore the importance of self-awareness, realizing that they are always watching their own behavior and the choices they make.
Key Ideas: Character is who you are when no one's looking - Right choices build self-esteem
Character Traits: Self-Respect - Self-Awareness - Integrity

Overcoming Obstacles * — No Olympic athlete has worked harder to get to the Olympics than those who compete in the Paralympics for disabled athletes. One such athlete is Ralph Green. Ralph has a story that will inspire both you and your students.
Key Ideas: Olympics - Turning obstacles into opportunities - Focusing on goals
Character Traits: : Respect - Responsibility - Perseverance - Dedication - Strong Work Ethic
Note: This message and lesson plan also work well for the Olympics.

Reaching Your Potential * —Every single one of us has the potential for greatness, no matter what circumstances we were born into, no matter what types of challenges we face. Students have the opportunity to consider that greatness can manifest in many ways.
Key Ideas: Personal Potential - Striving to Be One's Best - Overcoming Obstacles
Character Traits: Determination - Hard Work - Encouragement
Note: This message and lesson plan also work well for National Reaching Your Potential Month in January.

Rich Man - Poor Man — It's been said that the best things in life aren't things at all. Students explore the concept that money and possessions do not buy happiness and that success cannot be measured by the things we own.
Key Ideas: Quality of Life - Materialism - Priorities - Successful Living
Character Traits: Self-Respect - Love - Kindness

Rivers Run Through It — Like many things in nature, a river can teach us a great lesson. It triumphs every time. It just keeps going despite the challenges, obstacles, and barriers. There will always be barriers in life, stumbling blocks along the way. How we deal with those challenges can greatly determine our success or failure in life.
Key Ideas: Overcoming Obstacles - Encouragement
Character Traits: Perseverance - Commitment - Determination

Safe or Sorry — Every day, young people are injured unnecessarily. They break bones, injure eyes, become permanently disabled, or even lose their lives because some safety precaution wasn't taken. Students explore the benefits of taking safety precautions and the consequences to themselves and others when they don't observe safety rules.
Key Ideas: Staying safe during outdoor activities - Safety Rules
Character Traits: Responsibility - Respect - Citizenship

Strength of Habit * — Aristotle once said "The habits we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather make all the difference." Students explore the idea that it is easier to form positive habits now than to break bad habits, and that our habits shape our character and our character determines the outcome of our lives.
Key Ideas: Creating good habits -Habits help form our character and determine our future
Character Traits: Self-Respect - Self-Responsibility - Citizenship
Note: This message and lesson plan also work well for for the beginning of the school year.

Underneath the Anger — Sometimes, getting angry is the right thing to do, like when we get angry at some terrible wrong that has been committed. But most of the time when we get angry, it's because we are hurt or afraid. Students examine some of the underlying emotions that can create anger, their responsibility for addressing those root causes, and ways to deal appropriately with those feelings.
Key Ideas: Dealing with Anger - Underlying Causes of Anger
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility

The Words We Speak — Students stop to consider that the words we choose to speak are a reflection of who we are. Either words earn the respect of others, or they can cost us respect when others hear our bad language.
Key Ideas: Bad Language - Cursing - Abusive Language
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility - Civility