Berger Bears Developing Character
Character and wisdom are found in the best of us, and a new program
at L.E. Berger Elementary is intended to grow that number, starting
with the kids.
Teachers and staff call themselves Berger Bears. They have Paw Pride,
hold monthly den meetings to discuss the six pillars of character
and have "bear crossing" and "no growling" signs
in the hallways. The six pillars are responsibility, trustworthiness,
respect, fairness, caring and citizenship.
They have even made an acronym out of the word B.E.A.R.S. Behave
responsibly; effort is essential; arrive on time; respectful and
caring attitudes are important; and safety first.
L.E. Berger counselor, Ms. Debby Boyer, said the school's carnivorous
character building and behavior management lessons have been effective,
but she feels the kids need to hear about character building more
often than once a month. She was the thrust behind implementation
at the school of Project Wisdom, a national character-study education
initiative.
Project Wisdom was founded in 1992 in Texas as part of a volunteer
effort to bring character education to a middle school. Today Project
Wisdom, Inc. is an independent, non-political organization that
reaches more than four million students each day in more than 12,000
schools in all 50 states.
The centerpiece of the program is a collection of more than 600
thought-provoking messages designed to be read over the PA. Each
morning Boyer reads a quote at the end of the morning announcements.
"Good morning, Bears. It's time for a few words of wisdom,"
she says before reading the quote and signing off with: "Make
it a great day or not. The choice is yours."
A
sample message might be: "Making mistakes is a natural part
of being a human being. We all do it, whether we are a street cleaner
or a world leader, a teacher or a student, a young person or an
old person. It's another one of those things we all have in common.
We all make mistakes. Now listen to what Dr. Norman Vincent Peale,
great American writer and speaker, says about mistakes: 'A mistake
is not something to complain about, or to be ashamed of. It is a
great teacher.' The fact that you realize you have made a mistake
means you've already learned something. You've learned what not
to do in the future. That's good. Today, take responsibility for
your mistakes, and remember, a mistake can be a great teacher."
The Project Wisdom vision, as stated on the Web site, is to encourage
students to take responsibility for their choices and actions by
motivating them "to do their personal best, and inspiring them
to contribute to the world around them while honoring the diversity
that makes America great." The objectives include fostering
an internal motivation, empowering students to be their personal
best, teaching tolerance and understanding of different races, cultures
and religions, counteracting the negativity in the world and placing
role models before students by quoting individuals who have contributed
to humanity in a constructive way.
The wisdom covers an array of ethnic interests, including Islamic,
Jewish, Asian and Christian, with educators from California to New
York reportedly seeing marked differences in the school's environment
that they attribute to Project Wisdom.
Boyer said in West Fargo it's too early to tell, but she noted that
"the students like it, and the staff have said they like it
because it sets the mood for the day."
More than that, she said it's a great reason for the kids to listen
to the announcements. Along with the pillars of character, it is
a good tie-in to lessons, like reading and social studies, and the
pillars of character, she said. The more exposure they get, the
better.
"I think children don't naturally develop these positive character
traits on their own," Boyer said. "I think the adults
have to be the role models and help develop the potential in these
students."
The growth of character education programs in the United States
has coincided with the rise in high-stakes testing of student achievement,
according to a California State University study. The No Child Left
Behind Act asks schools to contribute not only to students' academic
performance but also to their character; the National Education
Association (NEA) agrees that schools have this dual responsibility.
forrest@midweek-pioneer.com
Reprinted with
permission
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