December, 2002
“Educators in our Special and Alternative Education programs met to develop a curriculum utilizing the aspects of character education as set forth through the CEP,” explains Anne Kelly, Ulster BOCES supervisor of Special Education at Tillson and Rondout Valley.
The CEP, whose mission reads, “Developing civic virtue and moral character in our youth for a more compassionate and responsible society,” is based in Washington, D.C. and is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the virtues of society by developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation's youth.
Kelly says the educators at Ulster BOCES have been busy determining methods for implementing classroom activities to teach the CEP’s 10 Aspects of Character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, honesty, courage, diligence, and integrity and she has already implemented the New York State-required initiative as part of the Ulster BOCES Special Education at Tillson’s program with noticeable results. For example, according to Kelly, there was only one day of suspension for the period of September to November, as opposed to 14 days of suspension from September through June of last year.
Under the plan, each month is devoted to covering one of the 10 Aspects of Character. In September, the first month of incorporating CEP into the curriculum, Kelly’s staff and students appropriately concentrated on the aspect of “respect” while they planned a special September 11th commemoration event. The teachers initiated classroom discussions regarding the September 11th terrorist attacks and the respect the nation felt toward the emergency personnel and volunteers who responded to the scene. The students responded by writing poems and creating posters that depicted their ideas of what respect is. During the month of October, the curriculum focused on the aspect of “responsibility” and for November, the classwork is on the aspect of “citizenship.”
The CEP encourages all schools and districts to share innovative approaches for exemplary practices. The CEP then recognizes a school as a National School of Character if it fulfills most, if not all, of the CEP’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, which are to:
Teacher Virginia Hickey wholeheartedly agrees that the school’s version of the CEP program is steadily working and that the proof is in the students. “Our students have a wide-range of needs, abilities, and skills. What I have seen these students do over the past few months is amazing! For November’s aspect of “citizenship,” I asked my students to do a project on heroes. After all, who is a better citizen than a hero?’”
Hickey’s first thoughts went to well-known heroes. “But then I thought we should talk about someone we know. So I opened up a discussion by talking about my chosen hero—my father. The students were hooked! It was like the floodgates opened up and they each began to come up with beautiful ideas of their own.”
Along with discussions, posters, and essays on heroes and citizenship, the Reverend James Childs of Kingston visited the school and spoke to the students and staff about the invisibility of poverty in Ulster County.
“We now have a food and a clothing drive going and everyone has been so generous!” remarks Hickey. “And it all reflects back on the aspect of “citizenship”—a good citizen is all about who you are. When we talked about poverty, one student even suggested we make up food baskets for those in need. I thought, ‘Wow! This is a great idea!’ And this is what citizenship is all about.”
Hickey says she is seeing the growing success of the program each day. “By highlighting an aspect each month, the students are better able to focus on what we are teaching them. And they are doing just beautifully.”
|
|
|
Quick Clicks
Contacts