C.A.R.(2)E.S. NEWSLETTER
(Creating A Respectful and Responsive Educational System)
Dr. Duane Hodgin, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support Services
Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
"National School District of Character"
September 10, 2008
(No. 1)
“The ideas that have lighted my way are kindness and truth.” – Albert Switzer
This begins the 11th year of the monthly “Character Rocks” Newsletter. As in the past, the intent is to provide colleagues with inspirational readings (some of which can be shared with students as reading/writing activities) as well as specific character-based activities that can be used with students.
WHAT HAVE I DONE TODAY?
By Nixon Waterman (Edited by Duane Hodgin)
We shall do much in the years to come,
But what have I done today?
We shall lift the heart and dry the tear,
We shall plant hope in the place of fear,
We shall speak the words of love and cheer,
But what did I speak today?
We can reach out to others,
But what have I done today?
We can show kindness and caring,
But what have I done today?
We can make a difference by what we do and say,
But the real question we must ask ourselves is,
What have I done today?
FAMILY
I ran into a stranger as he passed by. “Oh excuse me please,” was my reply.
He said, “Please excuse me too; I wasn’t watching you.”
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. “Move out of the way,” I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken.
He said, “Go and look on the kitchen floor, you’ll find some flowers there by the door.”
“Those are the flowers I brought to you. I picked them myself: pink, yellow and blue.”
By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall.
“Are these the flowers you picked for me?”
He smiled, “I found ‘em out by the tree. I picked ‘em because they’re pretty like you.
I knew you’d like ‘em, especially the blue.”
I said, “Son, I’m very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn’t have yelled at you that way.”
He said, “Oh, Mom, that’s okay. I love you anyway.”
I said, “Son, I love you too. And I do like the flowers, especially the blue.”
While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy we use, but the family we love, we sometimes abuse.
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days? But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. We often pour ourselves more into work than into our own family…an unwise investment indeed.
Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = Father And Mother I Love You
REMEMBER TO…
Always say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you love or care about someone, tell them. Because when you decide that it is the right time, it might be too late.
Seize the day. Never have regrets. And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have help make you the person that you are today.
Smile…even through your tears.
FINISH EVERY DAY
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, for tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and not be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too important, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on “yesterday.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
THE TOUGHEST PART OF BEING A PARENT
The toughest and most important part of my job as a parent is to give a moral compass to my children to help them traverse through a minefield of temptations that constantly pull at them to be dishonest, disrespectful, irresponsible, or self-indulgent. In the end, it’s still all about character.
– Michael Josephson
USING INSPIRATIONAL QUOTATIONS (Grades 5-12)
A great tool to use in the classroom is having students discuss quotations or to write an essay based upon a specific quote. Here are some ideas that a teacher can use if they structure a lesson around quotes.
Ask the questions like the following:
1. What do you think this quotation means?
2. What are the most important ideas and values embedded in the quote?
3. How would you rewrite this quotation if you had to use synonyms of the original words?
4. Give a “real life” example of what this quote is about.
5. What circumstances do you think prompted the speaker to ay this?
6. Why do you suppose this quotation is famous or at least notable?
7. If this quote doesn’t apply to you directly what kind of person or situation would it apply to?
8. Is there something you can learn from this quote about how you should live your life?
9. How would the world be different if everyone lived by this quotation? How would the world be better?
Go to Google.com, and use search words such as “inspiration quotes,” “quotes by famous people,” etc. If you want a compilation of “character quotes” from me, email me directly and I will send a list to you.
CHARCTER ROCKS T-SHIRTS
The sixth edition of our district-wide “Character Rocks” long-sleeve t-shirts will be delivered in January 2009. The first 24 people who email me, directly, with your name, school and size are guaranteed a “2009 Character Rocks T-shirt.” You will be sent a confirmation email, if you are one of the first 24. (Do not hit “Reply”…response should be “2009 CRT”.)
ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2001…LET US NEVER FORGET
On Monday, we emailed jokes.
On Tuesday, we did not.
On Monday, we thought that were secure.
On Tuesday, we learned better.
On Monday, we were talking about heroes as being athletes.
On Tuesday, we learned who our heroes really were.
On Monday, we were irritated because our rebate checks had not arrived.
On Tuesday, we gave money away to people we had never met.
On Monday, there were people fighting against praying in schools.
On Tuesday, you would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying.
On Monday, people argued with their kids about picking up their room.
On Tuesday, the same people couldn’t get home fast enough to hug their kids.
On Monday, people were upset that they had to wait 6 minutes in a fast food drive through line.
On Tuesday. people didn’t care about waiting up to 6 hours to give blood for the dying.
On Monday, we waived our flags signifying our cultural diversity.
On Tuesday, we waved only the American flag.
On Monday, there were people trying to separate each other by race, sex, color and creed.
On Tuesday, they were all holding hands.
On Monday, we were men or women, black or white, old or young, rich or poor, gay or straight, Christian or non-Christian.
On Tuesday, we were Americans.
On Monday, politicians argued about budget surpluses.
On Tuesday, grief stricken, they sang “God Bless <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>!”
On Monday, the President was going to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state> to read to children.
On Tuesday, he returned to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> to protect our children.
On Monday, we had families.
On Tuesday, we had orphans.
On Monday, people went to work as usual.
On Tuesday, they died.
On Monday, people were protesting against the 10 Commandments on government property.
On Tuesday, the same people all said “God help us all” while thinking “Thou shall not kill.”
It is sadly ironic how it takes horrific events to place things into perspective, but it has. The lessons learned on September 11, 2001, the things we have taken for granted, the things that have been forgotten or overlooked, hopefully will never be forgotten again.
The principles we live by, in our homes, schools, business and social life, are based upon common virtues—virtues we choose to embrace or disregard. -- Anonymous
FTTLA (Funny Things To Laugh About)
· “Will whomever is ‘raising the bar,’ give it a rest?”
· How a dad diapers the baby: Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher’s mound. Put first base and third base together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again!
People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle, and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross