LEADERSHIP
Lesson Plan
Elementary School
“Leadership is not a habit; it is an act that
everyone is capable of, if one takes to
time to gain the skills necessary no
matter the age.”
Peach County High School’s
Project L.E.A.D
2011-2012
Table of Contents:
Introduction………………………………………..2
K-1
grade………………………………………………..5
2-3
grades……………………………………………..30
4 grade…………………………………………….68
5 grade
…...………………………………………………..86
We, members of Project L.E.A.D., have developed a word list for the elementary
grades. These words can be used as a leadership word of the month. If there are
only eight words for the grade level, then use one word for November/December
since they are short academic months. Teachers will be able to add other activities
for each week. We encourage the definition one week, the quote another, and then
use the other activities the last two weeks of the month. This is just the framework
for the enhancement and development of leadership skills.
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March 2012
Dear Educators,
It is indeed my privilege to write the introduction for this manual. My
Future Problem Solving Program Community Problem Solving students
have worked diligently all year to develop this “lesson plan” manual for
teachers of Kindergarten through fifth grade. They have provided their
ideas of leadership words for each grade or grade band. Along with
chosen words for each month for each grade, the students have
included some basic items that will assist the students with
understanding these leadership words. The words have student
friendly definitions, quotes, and other activities or stories that will
explain the leadership word more completely. The words selected
represent what my students recognize as traits of leadership.
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Truthfully, this is a basic framework. Every month the teachers of a
certain grade can work with their students on the same leadership
word concept. My students have just given the basics, but this is a
start for the teachers to use as a guide. If each grade will work on a
leadership word for the month, then by the time the students reach
middle school, they will be ready for the next level of leadership. This
manual will truly help us with meeting our school board goal of
leadership: “All students in K-12 will participate in a student
leadership program towards improving student learning.”
The students involved in this project are gifted and high ability
learners from Peach County High School who have entitled this
endeavor “Project L.E.A.D.” (Leadership Enhancement and
Development). They are a mixture of students who have been involved
with FPSP CmPS previously and newcomers to the Future Problem
Solving Program’s community project. “In CmPS, students apply their
FPS skills to real problems in their community. A community problem
is a problem that exists within the school, local community, region,
state or nation. Implementation of an action plan is included in this
component. Students move from hypothetical issues to real world,
authentic concerns (www.gafpsp.org).” This is exactly what my
students have done. They have faced the need/challenge for the
enhancement and development of leadership in our students, they
have found a solution, and then they have developed an action plan.
What amazing leadership skills they have shown with their diligence
and enthusiasm to complete this endeavor!
There are other parts of this project that will not be completed until
the end of the school year. This conclusion brings excitement for a
project well done, but sadness because I have so many seniors who I
have taught and coached for years. However, these seniors are
headed to college to apply the critical and creative thinking skills that
they have learned through the Future Problem Solving Program on the
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next level. For the underclassmen, I anticipate another year of great
learning through FPSP.
Wishing you a wonderful experience with guiding your students in their
leadership advancement!
Sincerely,
Mary Jean Banter
Peach County Gifted Coordinator/Teacher of the Gifted
FPSP Coach (Global Issues and Community)
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“Even during the earliest stages of learning, Students begin expressing
leadership skills that need to be fertilized in order to blossom.”
1. Cooperate
2. Participate
3. Respect
4. Kindness
5. Trust
6. Caring
7. Teamwork
8. Fairness
9. Attention
10. Positive Attitude
11. Confidence
12. Imagination
13. Manners
14. Sharing
15. Thankful/grateful
16. Courage
17. Helpfulness
18. Enthusiasm
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Definition:
Being able to work together
Quote
“When the spider webs unite, they tie up a lion.”
Activities:
Stand Up – Sit back to back with a partner. Link elbows and work
together to stand up. Try it again in a group of three then four
Ball in a blanket – Split your groups into groups of 4. Give each
person a corner of a blanket to hold place a ball in the center of the
blanket. On the “go” signal ask the teams to work together to throw
the ball off the blanket into the air and catch it on its way back
down. How many successful bounces and catches can each team
make? It takes cooperation
Group Double – Give each person in the small group a piece of
blank paper and doodling tools (crayons, markers, pencils) on the
“go” signal each person doodles on their own paper for 30 seconds.
After the short time each person passes their paper to the person
next to them. The 30 seconds begin again and this time each person
adds to someone else’s doodle. Continue passing around the table
and until the doodles return to the original artists. At the end of the
circle, take time to explain what they see in the group doodle and
how it turned out.
Balloon City – Place a large number of balloons in a small area. The
challenge is to keep them all in the air anyway they can without
using hands! This takes much cooperation.
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Stories/Scenarios:
The Ram and the Pig Who Set Up House
In the story, a big ram learns the terrible truth about why the farmer
feeds him so well, so he runs away from the farm. The ram persuades
his friend, a pig who lives on a nearby farm, to accompany him. The
two animals set off together to build a house in the woods, where
they plan to live by themselves. Along the way, they meet a variety
of characters, each of whom expresses the desire to go along.
Before the ram and the pig allow a new character to join them, the
animal must describe how he or she can contribute to the house. At
last, a group forms. The animals select a spot in the woods, build their
house, and live in it together. A wolf notices the house construction
and plots to invade them, one and all! When the wolf attacks, each
animal fights back in his or her unique way. Together the animals
managed to frighten the wolf.
Definition: to take or have a part or share, as with others; partake;
share.
Quote
“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”
-Wayne Dyer
Activity: Alphabet Game
Description
This is a scene consisting of 26 lines of dialog. The first line starts with a
given letter (say `R`). The reply to that line must start with a `S`, and
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so on, until the whole alphabet has been covered. After `Z` comes
`A`.
Players who hesitate, or use the wrong letter `Die` and are replaced
by another player. The replacement needs to take over the
character of the player she replaces.
Notes
Urge players not to `stick` to the game - if you can`t think of a good
sentence to advance the story, it`s better to just `die` than to screw
up the story.
Story: When a character is named in the story, the student given
that character must do the action listed below.
Characters and Actions:
GHOST: "Boo!"
POT: "Bubble, bubble, bubble..."
WEREWOLF: "Howl!"
DOOR: "Creeeeeak!"
WITCH: "Cackle!"
CAT: "Hiss!"
MONSTER: "Grrrr!"
The Story:
Once upon a time, there lived a grumpy old WITCH. She lived in an
old cottage in the woods with her CAT, Whiskers. Whiskers was a
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grumpy CAT too! One night in October, the WITCH decided to make
a stew. She took out her old black POT and set the fire glowing. The
WITCH took out her cookbook, "101 Recipes to Bubble and Boil".
What kind of stew should she make? Should she make Hot Dogs and
French Flies? Macaroni and Fleas? Hamboogers and Potato lips?
Maybe Frogs Heads in Pond Scum?
Just as she was reading the recipe for Slimy Stinky Stew, there was a
knock on the DOOR. Well, nobody ever knocked on the WITCHes
DOOR! Who could it be? The WITCH peeked out her window and
saw a GHOST, a MONSTER, and a WEREWOLF! Well, well, thought the
WITCH, it's a party! She got so excited that she stepped on the CAT's
tail. The CAT, of course, got even grumpier when this happened! The
WITCH opened the DOOR. "Come in, come in," she cackled, "I have
just begun to make some stew. Would you like some?"
Well, the GHOST took one look at the toasted spider legs and went
even whiter that her sheet! The MONSTER looked at the bubbling
eyeballs and groaned when she held her tummy. The WEREWOLF
smelled the fried bat wings and made all of her hair stand up
straight! The WITCH was very upset that her guests did not want to
share her marvelous stew! She flung open her DOOR and told the
MONSTER, the GHOST, and the WEREWOLF to leave. Well, the WITCH
got a big surprise when she opened the DOOR. Outside of her
cottage was a big group of MONSTERs, princesses, trolls, and
superheroes, all coming to her DOOR. "Trick or treat!" they yelled.
Well, the grumpy old WITCH was so frightened that she picked up her
CAT, packed up her POT, and flew out the back DOOR on her
broom. And she was never seen again!
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Definition: TO HONOR SOMEONE
Quote: “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men
from beasts?”
-Confucius
Once upon a time, the King's two Princes were playing in a forest,
and - meeting one at a time -, they came across four dwarves who
asked them to be more careful. The first dwarf had a headache and
he asked them not to shout. The second dwarf was painting a
landscape, and he asked the children to move away because they
were blocking out the light. The third dwarf was doing a giant jigsaw
puzzle in the middle of the road, and he asked the children not to
tread on it. The fourth dwarf was watching a butterfly and he asked
them not to frighten it away. The Prince who respected others did as
the dwarves asked, but the disrespectful Prince ignored the
dwarves´ pleas, and kept bothering them. In the evening, both boys
had become separated and lost. They needed to get back to the
palace quickly. Each of them separately came across the four
dwarves again, and asked for their help. They refused to help the
disrespectful Prince, but with the respectful Prince they did whatever
they could to help, and took him along some secret tracks which led
right to the palace. The other Prince arrived much later, and was
punished for it. He now understood that it's much better to respect
everyone if you want to have friends.
-Pablo Pedro Sacristán
Plan!
 Every day this week give a sincere compliment to someone.
Create a weekly planner that will help you track your behavior.
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Each day you must write who you gave the compliment to and
describe their reaction.
Michele Borba
Definition:
Showing that you care and being nice
Quote
“I believe in the magic of kindness.”
Activities:
 In large letters write on a board the word kindness and ask the
children to list what they connect with being kind
 Divide children into small groups and ask them to visualize that
they are doctors working in a magical hospital where laziness,
anger, and meanness are being treated! Children should
choose a bad quality and make up a way to get rid of the
quality in a kind way.
 Assign students a partner and give them 10-15 minutes to write
only kind things about the person. If they have no kind things to
say let them sit quietly.
Stories/Scenarios:
Mopey the Monkey was always an angry little monkey in the jungle.
If any of the other animals came near his tree he went crazy. Mopey
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was always mean because he felt like an outsider because he was
big and hairy but the other animals were not. One day Billy the Bird
got stuck in a tree but Mopey did not want to help him but after
thinking about it and seeing that Billy was really hurt, so Mopey
helped and they became best friends because of the kindness that
he showed.
Definition: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a
person or thing; confidence.
Quote
People ask me why it's so hard to trust people,
and I ask them why it is so hard to keep a promise.
- Unknown
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Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.
The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter,
'Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river.'
The little girl said, 'No, Dad. You hold my hand.'
'What's the difference?' Asked the puzzled father.
'There's a big difference,' replied the little girl.
'If I hold your hand and something happens to me,
chances are that I may let your hand go.
But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what
happens,
you will never let my hand go.'
In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its
bond.
So hold the hand of the person who loves you rather than expecting
them to hold yours...
Definition:
Showing feeling for others or something
Quote:
“Care for all”
Activities:
 Have the kids make greeting cards or let them put there
handprints on the cards and send them to a nearby nursing
home.
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 Have kids get canned goods from home and donate to the
local soup kitchen. Get parents involved.
 Let the students either write or talk about something they care
about. Must tell what, who, and why?
 Let the students make a care list. Putting 10 things on a list they
care about and let them decorate it and they can put it in
front of their binder.
Stories/ Scenarios:
Corey’s mother had become very sick and he took care of his little
sister for a month since his mom was sick and not able to take her to
daycare. Corey cared for her like she was his daughter. He bathed
her every day, he fixed her bottle anytime she cried, and also
changed pampers whenever he needed to. You can care for others
even if that is not your responsibility! Care for everyone.
Definition: (from Wikipedia)
Action performed by a team towards a common goal
Quote: (from Teamwork-quotes.com)
“There is no ‘I’ in TEAM.”
Activities: (from eHow Family)
Building Blind - Students work in groups of 2 or 3. One student is the
leader and the others are the builders. The leader can see a simple
structure (usually made of Legos or other building blocks), but the
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builders can't see it. The leader must explain to the builders how to
recreate the structure and which pieces to use. The leader cannot
touch the pieces, so good communication skills are important.
Back Drawing - Requires 2 people. One person is the artist, and the
other one sits with his back facing the artist. The artist is given a list of
simple objects, which he must draw on his partner's back. The
partner must guess what each object is. The artist is allowed to draw
each item only twice. This activity forces students to pay attention
and use good visualization skills.
Blind Obstacle Course - The Blind Obstacle Course is a group of
obstacles to go around, over, and under. Working in groups of 2, one
person is blindfolded and the other is the leader. The leader must
give clear instructions to help the blindfolded player navigate the
course. This activity promotes teamwork.
Directions, Directions - Played in groups of 4 to 6 players. The first
person starts by saying and doing a small task. The next person
repeats the first activity and then chooses another one, and so on.
The players who can't remember an activity must sit out until the next
game. This activity teaches students to follow directions, focus, and
use listening and memory skills.
Story:
During the month, read the following Bernstein Bears books: Play a
Good Game, Play T-Ball, Bears Team Up, and Go Out for the Team.
Answer who, what, when where, why, how questions.
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Definition: the state, condition, or quality of being fair
Quote: It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do
yourself.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Activity: Students will make their own game that will show them what
rules will have to be made to make the game fair.
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Story: Snuggles was brown and white. Beth loved him a lot. When she
held him on her chest, he always tried to snuggle under her arm –
that’s how he got his name. Beth had a baby brother called Zach
who used to cry a lot and who needed to be fed many times in a
day. Beth got cross when she heard him crying and she wished he
would keep quiet.
One day she asked her Mum why she didn’t just put a feeding tube
in Zach’s mouth and tie Zach and the bottle to her chest. Then she
could carry Zach around all day while she worked and he could
suck on the tube anytime he wanted to. Then he wouldn’t keep
crying all the time.
“Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” said Beth’s Mum. “That wouldn’t be fair
on me; I’d get too tired, carrying Zach around all day long. And it
wouldn’t be fair on Zach because he couldn’t sleep if I were playing
with you, or doing the washing up. You might like it, I suppose,
because you wouldn’t have to listen to him crying several times a
day. But it wouldn’t be fair on us.”
“I don’t care,” said Beth.
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“I see. All right then, think about this. I don’t like cleaning Snuggles
cage, so we’ll get rid of his cage and you can carry him around all
day, under your arm. Have him all day long, even when you go out
to play, and when you are having your tea, then I’ll think about
carrying Zach around all day.”
Beth frowned. “No, I don’t think so, Mum. He might get dropped, or
he might pee on my jumper. Or I might lose him outside. I couldn’t
go on the swings with him under my arm, could I? It wouldn’t be fair
if you took his cage away. It wouldn’t be fair on Snuggles, or me. You
won’t, will you?”
“Ah ha! So now do you think it would be fair if I carried Zach around
all day and fed him through a tube?”
“No Mum,” said Beth giggling. “It wouldn’t be fair!”
Definition: the act or faculty of attending, especially by directing the
mind to an object.
Quote:
“The book salesman should be honored because he brings to our
attention, as a rule, the very books we need most and neglect
most.”
-Confucius
Once upon a time, on the island of Crete, a great King named Minos
wanted a magnificent garden around his palace. He sent for the
famous craftsman Daedalus to design and construct the gardens.
Daedalus came with his son, Icarus, who was learning from his father
about craftsmanship.
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Daedalus decided to build the gardens in a labyrinth—which is a
puzzle that you try to find your way through. When the gardens were
complete, King Minos loved them, but most people lost their way
trying to walk through the maze. He even imprisoned his enemies
there because they would spend their whole life trying to find their
way out.
Once, Daedalus helped one of King Minos' foes get free from the
labyrinth, so the King put Daedalus and his son under arrest. They
were not allowed to board any ships in his harbor, and to swim to the
next island would be too far. They would have to stay, or so the King
thought. But the renowned craftsman Daedalus was not dismayed.
He began building two sets of huge wings, one for himself and one
for his son, Icarus.
Once Daedalus had constructed the lightweight frames for their
arms, he and his son gathered feathers to put on the wings. Carefully
gluing all the feathers on the wings with wax, they worked every
second of the day, and soon they were ready.
He warned his son, “Fly evenly and steadily like the eagle, and don’t
fly too high, or the sun will melt the wax.” Then they put on their giant
wings and began to fly! Daedalus and his son glided over the ocean
like birds, happy and free.
Even though Daedalus reminded Icarus to be focused and careful,
the boy soon became so excited that he started zooming around
crazily and wildly. Sure enough, Icarus forgot what his father had told
him and finally zoomed so high that the sun melted the wax on his
wings, the feathers fell off, and he plummeted into the ocean.
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Definition: Looking for the Best
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the
effort.”
-Herm Albright
Story:
There was once a farmer who devised a competition between his
dog and his rabbit. He made a hole in one of his biggest fields, and
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hid a carrot and a bone in it. He wanted to see which animal would
find them first.
The rabbit was very cheerful and optimistic, and he threw himself
into looking for the carrot, digging here and there, totally convinced
that he would find it. But the dog was pessimistic, and after sniffing
around for a bit, he lay down on the ground and began to complain
how difficult it was to find one bone in such a big field.
The rabbit dug for hours, and with every new hole the dog
complained even more about how difficult this was, even for the
rabbit. The rabbit, on the other hand, thought that each hole dug
was one hole less that needed digging. When there was no place in
the whole field left to dig, the rabbit dug a tunnel to right under
where the dog had been lying all that time. There he found the
carrot and the bone.
And this is how it was that the dog lost due to his pessimism. Because,
thanks to his great instinct, he had already found the right place at
the very beginning!
Definition: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of
a person or thing
Quote:
“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's
eyes. “
~ Sally Field
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Story:
Matt is a really, really good soccer player. He wants to be on the
soccer team. Trouble is, to play on the team, he has to tryout in front
of the coach and the other kids, and Matt is really, really shy. So he
keeps practicing his dribbles and getting better and faster - he feels
good. Then he realizes it's only 3 weeks to tryouts and he starts
getting nervous! What if I screw up in front of all those people?!
But Matt keeps working the ball and practicing. Now tryouts are only
2 weeks away and he starts tripping and missing easy goals! What's
wrong! Mom says he'll be fine. Dad says not to worry that Mr. Jones is
the coach! Well, what dad doesn't know is that Mr. Jones son, Randy
Jones, is the meanest kid in the whole neighborhood and is always
teasing Matt. Great! That makes him even more nervous! And his
soccer playing gets terrible!
Now it's 1 week to go until tryouts, Matt is messing around with the
soccer ball when he feels it, deep down inside he knows he can do
this! Actually, Matt feels like there's another person inside him,
someone who's been there all along - a very strong and brave
person - kind of like a... a superhero! Yah, that's it, a superhero!
Nah, this is too weird! But it's there! So Matt finds his Superhero again.
He lets his superhero grow strong inside of him. Man, does he feel
great! Like he can do anything! Then he goes back to kicking the
ball. Score! Score! Score!
This is great! Matt even gives his superhero a name, "Super Soccer
Guy" and he feels strong and good about himself. And guess what?
He doesn't feel as nervous any more. Not even Randy Jones can get
in his way now!
Matt is going to try out for the soccer team and he's going to let
"Super Soccer Guy" grow strong and tall and he's going to play the
best ever! Yeah, Matt!
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Definition: the action or process of forming such images or concepts.
Story:
Quote: “Imagination takes you everywhere.”
-Unknown
Shay’s imagination flew up to the clouds. “Please help us,” she said. “The
beavers need to finish their lodge but it’s too dark because you are not letting
the moon shine through.”
“We can’t go anywhere without the wind,” the clouds said. “You can talk to the
wind but remember the wind understands only poetry language.” Shay’s
imagination then talked to the wind:
“Wind, you can be very gentle and calm,
and not blow a feather from our palm.
Some days we are not even aware of you
Because nothing shows what you can do.
But other days you really blow and howl,
Birds are tossed about, even the mighty owl.
It is then that we see leaves and dust arise,
And all clouds disappear from the skies.
So please, wind, do show me your power,
because it is getting dark this very hour.
Make all the clouds disappear from the sky,
so the beavers can fix the lodge they occupy.”
After that, the imagination went back to Shay at the beaver lodge. Nothing was
happening and it was getting dark. “I tried,” Shay said, “sorry I couldn’t help.”
It was time for her to go home, but as she was about to leave the wind picked
up and the clouds started to roll away. “Whoopee!” the beavers shouted in
unison. “Now we can finish our lodge.”
Shay went home very happy that her imagination worked hard to help the
beavers finish repairing their lodge. And every day after when she passed by the
beaver’s lodge, they would make a point of thanking her for all the help.
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Definition: a way of doing, being done, or happening; mode of
action, occurrence
Story:
A long, long time ago a little boy was walking through a park. In the
middle of the park there was a tree with a sign on it. The sign said "I
am a magic tree. Say the magic words and you will see."
The boy tried to guess the magic words. He tried abracadabra,
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, tan-ta-ra, and many more... but
none of them worked.
Exhausted, he threw himself on the floor, saying: "Please, dear tree!"
and suddenly, a big door opened in the trunk. Inside everything was
dark, except for a sign which said "Carry on with your magic." Then
the boy said "Thank you, dear tree!" With this, the inside of the tree lit
up brightly and revealed a pathway leading to a great big pile of
toys and chocolate.
The little boy brought all his friends to the magic tree, and they had
the best party ever. This is why people always say that "please" and
"thank you" are the magic words.
Definition: the full or proper portion or part allotted or belonging to
or contributed or owed by an individual or group.
Story:
Little Hedgehog is making his bed when a strong winter’s wind blows
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his nest away. He decides to wait out the storm at his friend Badger’s
house. As Hedgehog makes his way there, he comes across a very
cold family of mice. Hedgehog kindly gives them his warm woolly
hat to use as a nest. Next, Hedgehog comes across an Otter with
cold paws, so he shares his mittens. Finally, Hedgehog comes across
a family of deer and he notices the little fawn is shivering, so he gives
her his scarf. By the time Hedgehog makes it to Badger’s, he is a very
cold “prickly snowball.” The next day, after the storm has passed,
Hedgehog and Badger return to where Hedgehog’s nest used to be
to build a new one. They are surprised to find the “coziest nest ever”
that has been built by the animals that Hedgehog had helped in the
storm. The animals all yell, “Surprise!” and tell Hedgehog that he is
the “kindest Hedgehog in the world.”
Definition: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.
Quote: Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone
with less ability might have your job.
~James A. Lovell
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Activity: Each student must make a list of 10 things they are thankful
for good or bad. They can compare answers with a friend or group.
Definition: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face
difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
Quote: “Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no
power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”
― Jim Morrison
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Activity: Draw a picture or write down for worst fear. Then ball the
paper up and through it as far away as you can or into a trash can.
Definition: giving or rendering aid or assistance; of service
Quote: “Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your
husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't
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matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for
each other.”
~Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Activity: Students are to do and record at least 5 acts of helpfulness
in one week.
Definition: absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any
interest or pursuit; lively interest.
Quote: A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has
unlimited enthusiasm.
~Charles Schwab
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Activity: Theme Days
Children and adults can come up with themes that go along with
each day of the week. For example, Mondays can be “yellow day”
when everyone wears yellow; Tuesdays can be “say day” when
everyone tries not to say a chosen word the whole trip; Wednesdays
can be “rhyme time” when participants say as many words as they
can think of that rhyme with a selected word; Thursdays can be
“alphabet day” when as they walk, the children must find something
that starts with an ‘A’ (automobile), then something that starts with a
‘B’ (bicycle), then ‘C’ (curb), and so on, in alphabetical order;
Fridays can be “story day,” when children take turns describing their
favorite book or vacation, an embarrassing moment, or how they
would spend money won in the lottery.
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1.
Patience
2.
Honor
3.
Creativity
4.
Encouragement
5.
Integrity
6.
Understanding
7.
Focused/determination
8.
Self-discipline
9.
1st Impressions
10. Generosity
11. Curiosity
12. Thoughtfulness
13. Brainstorming
14. Listening
15. Quality
16. Proficiency
17. Purpose
18. Organization
“If one is motivated at young age, one will
be able to motivate others sooner.”
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Definition: bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay,
hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint,
anger, or the like.
Quote: Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with
yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections
but instantly set about remedying them -- every day begins the task
anew.
~Saint Francis de Sales
Activity:
Role play: How can we be patient when a situation cannot be
changed?
Brainstorm some situations where one has to accept a situation
that cannot be changed. Some ideas: 1. Parent losing a job 2. An
elderly relation/family member having to move into the home. 3.
Moving because a parent’s job changed. 4. Dealing with someone
you don’t like.
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Definition: a good name or public esteem
Quote:
“Nobody can acquire honor by doing what is wrong.”
Thomas Jefferson
Story: The Choice of Hercules
Long, long ago, when the world was young, there were many deeds
waiting to be wrought by daring heroes. It was then that the mighty
Hercules, who was yet a lad, felt an exceeding great and strong
desire to go out into the wide world to seek his fortune.
One day, while wandering alone and thoughtful, he came to a
place where two paths met. And sitting down he gravely considered
which he should follow.
One path led over flowery meadows toward the darkening distance
- the other, passing over rough stones and rugged, brown furrows,
lost itself in the glowing sunset.
And as Hercules gazed into the distance, he saw two stately
maidens coming toward him.
The first was tall and graceful, and wrapped round in a snow-white
mantle. Her countenance was calm and beautiful. With gracious
mien and modest glance she drew near the lad.
The other maiden made haste to outrun the first. She, too, was tall,
but seemed taller than she really was. She, too, was beautiful, but
her glance was bold. As she ran, a rosy garment like a cloud floated
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about her form, and she kept looking at her own round arms and
shapely hands, and ever and anon she seemed to gaze admiringly
at her shadow as it moved along the ground. And this fair one did
outstrip the first maiden, and rushing forward held out her white
hands to the lad, exclaiming, "I see thou art hesitating, O Hercules,
by what path to seek thy fortune. Follow me along this flowery way,
and I will make it a delightful and easy road. Thou shalt taste to the
full of every kind of pleasure. No shadow of annoyance shall ever
touch thee, nor strain nor stress of war and state disturb thy peace.
Instead thou shalt tread upon carpets soft as velvet, and sit at
golden tables, or recline upon silken couches. The fairest of maidens
shall attend thee, music and perfume shall lull thy senses, and all that
is delightful to eat and drink shall be placed before thee. Never shalt
thou labor, but always live in joy and ease. Oh, come! I give my
followers liberty and delight!"
And as she spoke the maiden stretched forth her arms, and the
tones of her voice were sweet and caressing.
"What, O maiden," asked Hercules, “is thy name?”
"My friends," said she, "call me Happiness, but mine enemies name
me Vice."
Even as she spoke, the white-robed maiden, who had drawn near,
glided forward, and addressed the lad in gracious tones and with
words stately and winning, "O beloved youth, who wouldst wander
forth in search of Life, I too, would plead with thee! I, Virtue, have
watched and tended thee from a child. I know the fond care thy
parents have bestowed to train thee for a hero's part. Direct now thy
steps along yon rugged path that leads to my dwelling. Honorable
and noble mayest thou become through thy illustrious deeds.
"I will not seduce thee by promises of vain delights - instead will I
recount to thee the things that really are. Lasting fame and true
nobility come not to mortals save through pain and labor. If thou, O
Hercules, seekest the gracious gifts of Heaven, thou must remain
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constant in prayer - if thou wouldst be beloved of thy friends, thou
must serve thy friends - if thou desirest to be honored of the people
thou must benefit the people - if thou art anxious to reap the fruits of
the earth, thou must till the earth with labor - and if thou wishest to
be strong in body and accomplish heroic deeds, thou must teach
thy body to obey thy mind. Yea, all this and more also must thou do."
"Seest thou not, O Hercules," cried Vice, "over how difficult and
tedious a road this Virtue would drive thee? I, instead, will conduct
thy steps by a short and easy path to perfect Happiness."
"Wretched being!" answered Virtue, "wouldst thou deceive this lad!
What lasting Happiness hast thou to offer! Thou pamperest thy
followers with riches, thou deludest them with idleness - thou
surfeitest them with luxury - thou enfeeblest them with softness. In
youth they grow slothful in body and weak in mind. They live without
labor and wax fat. They come to a wretched old age, dissatisfied,
and ashamed, and oppressed by the memory of their ill deeds - and,
having run their course, they lay themselves down in melancholy
death and their name is remembered no more.
"But those fortunate youths who follow me receive other counsel. I
am the companion of virtuous men. Always I am welcome in the
homes of artisans and in the cottages of tillers of the soil. I am the
guardian of industrious households, and the rewarder of generous
masters and faithful servants. I am the promoter of the labors of
peace. No honorable deed is accomplished without me.
"My friends have sweet repose and the untroubled enjoyment of the
fruits of their efforts. They remember their deeds with an easy
conscience and contentment, and are beloved of their friends and
honored by their country. And when they have run their course, and
death overtakes them, their names are celebrated in song and
praise, and they live in the hearts of their grateful countrymen.
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"Come, then, O Hercules, thou son of noble parents, come, follow
thou me, and by thy worthy and illustrious deeds secure for thyself
exalted Happiness."
She ceased, and Hercules, withdrawing his gaze from the face of
Vice, arose from his place, and followed Virtue along the rugged,
brown path of Labor.
Activities:
Make an “All About ______” book on your favorite
person – How tall? How old? What are their favorite
things? What are their favorite foods? What are things
you do together? What traditions do you have?
It could be anything. Be creative and think hard.
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Definition: the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns,
relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms,
methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or
imagination
Quote:
“A successful work of art is not one which resolves contradictions in a
spurious harmony, but one which expresses the idea of harmony
negatively by embodying the contradictions, pure and
uncompromised, in its innermost structure.”
~Theodore Adorno
Activities:
• Encourage ingenious humor. Humor helps kids take joy in their
creative intelligence. Laugh together often, and don’t be shy about
saying: “You tickled my funny bone with that one!”
• Facilitate play; don’t dictate it. Kids get a big boost from parents’
getting on the floor and really playing with them. During play follow
your child’s lead. Play should be a dance between you, not a
concert with you as sole conductor.
• Play games that could have different answers. Include “What if”
questions in play. “What if we want to build a sand castle?”
“How can we make the sand stick together?”
“What if we made designs on our castle, what could we use to make
them?”
• Play imaginative word games. For instance, devise ways to build a
house if you landed on the moon. Or make lists of all the different
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and imaginative ways you could use a simple household item, like a
leaf rake or a hand mixer.
Enjoy wacky answers!
• Play make-believe games. You know, pretend that you’re a
monkey. Or pretend to be machines like lawn mowers, popcorn
poppers, or leaf blowers!
• Make homemade instruments and put on a concert. Be accepting
of all compositions. Make room for movement so spirited kids can
show off their grace to the max.
37
Definition: The act to promote, advance, or foster.
Quote:
“A student never forgets an encouraging private word, when it is
given with sincere respect and admiration.”
~William Lyon Phelps
Story: One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid
from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It
looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why
would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really
be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with
my friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went
on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They
ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so
he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in
the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged
over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a
tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are
jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey
thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles
that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it
turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen
him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I
would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out
to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on
Saturday with my friends and me. He said yes. We hung all weekend
38
and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends
thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of
books again. I stopped him and said, "Dang boy, you are going to
really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!"
He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we
were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on
Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always
be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going
to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football
scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the
time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for
graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and
speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those
guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and
actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all
the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of
those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him
on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at
me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.
"Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.
"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it
through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings,
maybe a coach... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you
that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I
am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first
39
day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He
talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't
have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard
at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend
saved me from doing the unspeakable.” I heard the gasp go
through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about
his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and
smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its
depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small
gesture you can change a person's life.
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Definition: Doing what needs to be done or what is right without
being told to
Quote:
“A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.”
-Baltasar Gracian
Story:
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant
Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the
aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire
squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at
his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off
his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission
and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the
carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back
to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship he saw
something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese
aircraft was speeding their way toward the American fleet. The
American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but
defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in
time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the
approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must
somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of
personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes.
Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one
surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of
the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible
until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued
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the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in
hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and
rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese
squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch
O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon
arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return.
The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It
showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He
had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on
February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first
Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional
Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at
the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this
WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named
in tribute to the courage of this great man. So, the next time you find
yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's
memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located
between Terminals 1 and 2.
-Activity: Give the class duties and rotate the duties every week
42
Definition: mental process of a person who
comprehends; comprehension; personal
interpretation
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”
~Albert Einstein
Story:
Little Sam was very excited as he stood in front of the pet store. There
was a big sign above the glass door that read: “Cute Puppies Just for
You." He was finally going to get a puppy for himself. Both Daddy
and Mommy had agreed to it. Their only condition was that he
should take care of it and it shouldn’t go about dirtying the house.
Taking a deep breath, Sam walked into the store. The owner was
busy reading the newspaper. “How much do I need to buy a puppy,
Uncle?” he asked.
The store owner wasn’t sure if this little boy really wanted to buy a
puppy as he was not accompanied by his parents. So, without
looking at Sam, he replied, “Well, anything from $25 to $50. Don’t
think you have it.”
Sam dipped in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have only
$20,” he said. Before the store owner could say anything more, Sam
added: “Can I please take a look at them?”
Something about this little boy touched a chord in the store owner’s
heart. He smiled at Sam and whistled loudly. And lo! out of a big red
kennel, which was in one corner of the store, ran out a big dog
followed by five tiny balls of fur. They were the cutest things, little Sam
had seen in the seven years of his life.
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However, Sam noticed that one little brown puppy was lagging far
behind. Immediately, Sam singled out the limping puppy and said,
“What’s wrong with this little puppy?”
The store owner explained that the little puppy didn’t have a hip
socket and so it would always be lame. What astonished him was
the sparkle in Sam’s eyes. The little boy became excited. “Uncle, this
is the puppy I want for myself.”
The store owner said, “Sonny, you don’t want to buy that little dog.
It’s a lame thing. What would you do with it? But, if you really want
him, I’ll just give him to you.”
Sam’s chubby face fell. The man could see that the little boy was
upset. Sam looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his
finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give this puppy to me. His worth
is as much as all the other puppies and I am going to pay full price
for him.”
The store owner was indeed taken aback. “In fact, I’ll give you $20
now, and 60 cents a month until I have him paid for,” continued Sam
in a determined fashion.
The store owner countered, “But little one, you are making a mistake.
You really don’t want to buy this little dog for he will never be able to
run and jump and play with you like the other puppies. Why don’t
you choose one from the rest? I will give you a hefty discount.”
To his astonishment, the little boy reached down and rolled up his
pants to reveal a crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace.
He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I cannot
run very well myself, and this little puppy needs someone who will
understand him. I want to be that special one for this special
puppy.”
With this Sam walked down the aisle of the store with the little lame
puppy in his folded arms. He held his little head high in pride. All that
the store owner could do was staring at his passing figure with tears
in his eyes. This little boy’s understanding was so much more superior
to the grown-ups.
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Definition: The act of making up your mind about something
Quote:
“To all the positions, I just bring the determination to win. Me being
an unselfish player, I think that can carry onto my teammates. When
you have one of the best players on the court being unselfish, I think
that it transfers to the other players.” - LeBron James
Story: Determination
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was working very
hard. ‘The idea was to build a spectacular bridge connecting New
York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts
throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and
told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not
practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge.
He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it
could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else.
After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his
son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact
could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed
concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles
could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the
headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew
and began to build their dream bridge.
45
The project started well, but when it was only a few months
underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John
Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to
talk or walk.
“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish
to chase wild visions.”
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the
project should be scrapped since the Roebling’s were the only ones
who knew how the bridge could be built.
In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still
had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as
sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some
of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task.
As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming
through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains
apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees
outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly
an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he
decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly
developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he
wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same
method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It
seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on
his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the
spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the
triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to
be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers
and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered
mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the
46
love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently
decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what
to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude
that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an
impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles
seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face.
The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can
be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the
odds are.
“Even the most distant dream can
be realized with determination
and persistence.”
Activities: Capture the Flag
To begin the game, you must split into groups that are made from
three or more people, and you have to establish your base as well as
the location for your flag. The object of the game is to capture the
other team’s flag within their territory and run to your team’s base, so
you can win the game. To capture their flag, you have to be quick,
smart, and determined to the flag. However if you try to get their
flag, the team can capture you or another teammate. In other
words, you have to bring their flag to your base, or the other team
captures all members of your team.
47
Definition:
Training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for
personal improvement
Quote:
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality,
it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and
effort.”
- Jesse Owens
Story: August Heat
August Heat was a little city mouse who lived peacefully in a big
house. The house had all the comforts any mouse could ever dream
of; there was always warm water to bathe in, hot food, plenty of
clothes and whatever else.
A rather unusual kind of mouse lived with August. His name was
Percy Veering, and despite all those comforts, every day he would
give something up. He could quite easily wash in cold water as if it
were warm, or chew leeks as though they were lumps of cheese. The
worst was when he tried to convince August that acting in this way
would be for his own good.
"Come on, man, you'll make yourself stronger. You're becoming a
real softy!” Percy would say to him.
And poor August would turn away, snuggle into his blanket, and
read a good book, wondering how there could be such stupid
people around.
Misfortune would have it that, one night, so much snow fell on the
city that our two friends' little mouse-house was completely snowed
in and cut off from the outside world. They tried to get out, but the
48
cold was intense, and they didn't think they could dig a tunnel
through so much snow. They decided to wait it out.
The days went by, and still the snow remained; now there was no
food left. Percy endured it quite well, but August - deprived of his hot
baths, his food, and his warm shelter, was on the verge of losing
control. He was a cultured kind of a mouse, who had studied widely;
he knew that he wouldn't be able to stand more than three days
without food. This was the same amount of time they had worked
out they would need to dig a tunnel through the snow. They now
had no choice but to get digging.
But as soon as he touched that cold snow, August turned away. He
couldn't do it. Not with something so terribly cold, not even as hungry
as he was, not even knowing that he would soon die!
Percy, though, managed it quite well, and started digging, all the
time encourages his friend to do the same. But August was
paralyzed; he just could not stand such terrible conditions. He
couldn't even think straight. Then he looked at Percy, 'that idiot', and
understood that that mouse was a lot wiser than he looked. Unlike
himself, Percy had trained himself to do things because he really
wanted to do them, and not just because they were the most
appealing things to do at any given moment.
He could order his legs to dig regardless of whether they were purple
with cold - something which was impossible for August, no matter
how much he wanted to do it. And with those thoughts, and a tear
of helplessness, he lay down upon the mountain of feathers that was
his bed, ready to let himself die.
When he opened his eyes, he thought he was in heaven; the face of
an angel was smiling at him. But then with great joy he realized that
it was just a nurse. She told him they had been treating him for days,
ever since a very brave mouse had arrived at the hospital, his four
legs frozen, and given instructions on where to find August. Then the
brave mouse had passed out.
When August ran to thank Percy for all his help, he found him
standing up, having greatly recovered. Percy had lost several
fingers, and an ear, but he looked cheerful enough. August felt very
guilty since he hadn't lost a thing.
49
Percy told him, "Don't worry, if it hadn't been for those fingers and
that ear, I wouldn't be here either. What better use could they have
had?!"
Of course, they continued to be great friends, but August no longer
thought of Percy as an idiot. By Percy's side he set about regaining
control over his own pampered and demanding little body, each
day giving up one of those unnecessary comforts of modern mouse
life.
Activities: Hint, Hint
In this game, which is also known as Taboo, one student is given a
word and must get another student to say that word. In order to get
the other student to say the word, the first student may use any
phrase or sentence that doesn't include the word itself. For example,
acceptable hints for "cat" might include "kitty," "little tiger," "kitten" or
"feline". The game can be played in pairs for points, or with one
student giving hints to a group of students, with the student to first
guess correctly becoming the new leader. It can be surprising to
adults how hard it is for a child to not blurt out the forbidden word as
she becomes frustrated with her partner's progress.
Read more: Games to Teach Self-Control in Kids | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/list_6063750_games-teach-self_controlkids.html#ixzz1gFgsqCcf
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Definition: What people think about you when the first see you
Quote: “Aggressive, tough and defiant may describe me, but that
leaves the impression I’m mean and I’m not. People expect me to
have fangs.” -Joan Jett
First Impressions Count
My cousin Casi agreed to watch my children for me, while I went to
a lunch meeting. To thank her, I went by Starbucks to get her a drink.
I thought I remembered that she didn’t like coffee, so I ordered a
caramel, apple cider. I pulled up to the window, and the cashier
informed me that they were out of apple cider. I said that it was
okay, and changed my order to mocha. As I handed my credit card
to the cashier, she handed me a coupon. “This is good for a free
drink on us, any time you want it. You would not believe how many
people have yelled at us today.”
“Really?” I asked. The manager then told me how awful customers
had been, and how much they appreciated my willingness to
accept the problem of the lack of apple cider. Then they both
proceeded to tell me what a nice person I was. I will admit that I left
Starbucks with a giant smile on my face. I even puffed my chest out
because of my astounding demonstration of a patient,
accommodating citizen. A few days later, I went to the bank. There
was only one other car in the drive-thru in the farthest lane from the
teller. I pulled right up to the spot next to the window. The teller never
even looked up. I thought, surely she can see me, but she just
continued to count her money. I watched the other car leave, and
another car pull up. I sighed and thought, any minute now. That car
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left and I began to feel impatient hives starting to break out on my
neck.
Finally, she looked up and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
Yeah, uh huh, sure, I thought. She opened the tray, and I placed my
deposit in the tray, and she pulled it back in. My jaw sagged open as
I watched her walk away from the window without my deposit. The
third car drove away, replaced by the fourth car. My inpatient hives
had taken over my entire body. I swear you could have seen smoke
coming out of my ears. She came back to the window, and still did
not take my deposit out of the tray! She proceeded to count some
more money. By then the other teller servicing her FIFTH car, looked
at me quizzically. I cannot repeat the thoughts that then filled my
brain.
With huge willpower, I clamped my lips together. My mamma always
said, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at
all.” After ten minutes, this … ‘teller,’” finally took my deposit. As she
deposited my receipt into the tray, I had reached my boiling point. I
violently grabbed the receipt out of the tray squishing it into a wad,
as if it was her head, and hit the gas of my minivan as hard as I
could. Apparently not just muscle cars can do burnouts. The
satisfying sound echoed off all of the walls of the drive through. At
that moment, my conscience tickled my brain. I yelled back, “She
deserved it. That is ridiculous, taking ten minutes to process a measly
deposit.” Mockingly, I continued, “She ‘didn’t see me.’ Yeah, right!”
A few days later, I had a rough day with my kids. Near the Starbucks,
I knew I deserved to use my free coupon. I ordered my favorite: a
venti′, non-fat, peppermint mocha, with whip cream. (I know that
the whip cream cancels out the non-fat part, but it makes me feel
skinnier.) As I pulled up to the window, I handed the cashier my little
gift card. She said, “Oh, that’s nice.” I smiled, and explained how I
had earned the gift certificate by my startling display of politeness.
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The manager peeked her head out, and said, “Oh, I remember this
lady. She was so sweet. We had run out of apple cider, and she said
it was not a big deal and changed her order. We had been yelled
at all day.” I flashed my dazzling white smile, and nodded my head
like a queen. Yes, I was a walking example of a patient,
accommodating citizen. As I pulled out from the drive thru, I
proceeded to choke on my venti, non-fat, peppermint mocha with
whip cream. “Too bad they didn’t see you at the drive thru at the
bank the other day,” whispered my conscience. My free mocha
didn’t taste as good anymore. I bowed my head and repented. I
managed to have grace enough to blush and be completely
embarrassed. We only get one chance to make a first impression. I
don’t know what the bank teller had to do that was more important
than my little deposit. I could have asked nicely, and to be honest, I
wasn’t even in a hurry. Who knows how much she was having to get
done, or if she had a deadline. I was only concerned with myself.
These incidents completely altered the way I treat the pizza delivery
guy, nail technician, the UPS delivery man, the cashier, and—oh
yeah—the bank teller!
-Activity: The teacher shows the students pictures of people and asks
them to describe what they may be like or do in the future or maybe
even now.
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Definition: readiness or liberality in giving.
Quote: “Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them
up.”
~Jesse Jackson
Story:
Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable patch, on which
grew a very leafy tree. Both the patch and the tree gave the place
a wonderful appearance, and were the pride and joy of the
garden's owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the
patch and the tree couldn't stand each other. The vegetables hated the
tree's shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The
tree, on the other hand, resented the vegetables because they drank
nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just
enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up
and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would
dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to shade the vegetables from
the hot midday sun, so they too began to dry up. Before long, the
vegetables were really scrawny, and the tree's branches were drying up.
None of them suspected that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable
patch deteriorating, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the
tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to
be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette, understood
what was going on, and decided to resolve it. Despite the little water
available, and the unforgiving heat, the little courgette did all he could to
grow, grow, grow...
He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the
patch again. Now the gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big
courgette in some gardening contest.
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And so it was that the vegetables and the tree realized that it was
better to help each other than to fight. They should really learn how
to live in harmony with those around them, doing the best they
could. So they decided to work together, using both the shade and
the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing
how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care
to his vegetable patch, watering and fertilizing it better than any
other patch for miles around.
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Definition: A strong desire to know or learn something
Quote:
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new
things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down
new paths.”
- Walt Disney
Story and Activities:
For the story, choose a Curious George book and
discussed the book like the plot and the characters.
For activities, go to the Curious George website at
http://www.pbs.org/parents/curiousgeorge/activities
/pc_activities.html#LB and choose an activity to do
with the class. It would be better to link the activity
with the story. For example, you read to your class
“Curious George Makes Pancakes” and you choose
to do the activity called “Curious Pancakes”. That
would be a great way to keep the students because
the story and activity are related. Plus, they could eat
it after they’re done.
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Definition: showing consideration for others; considerate.
Story: Piece of Mind
One day, a leader was walking from one town to another town with
a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. While they were
travelling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and
the leader told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty. Do get me some
water from that lake there.”
The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed
that some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at
that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a
result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple
thought, “How can I give this muddy water to our leader to drink!” So
he came back and told his leader, “The water in there is very
muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.”
After about half an hour, again the leader asked the same disciple
to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple
obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake
had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the
water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a
pot and brought it to the leader.
This leader looked at the water, and then he looked up at the
disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean. You
let it be ... and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear
water... Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be.
Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to
put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”
What did the leader emphasize here? He said, “It is effortless.”
Having 'peace of mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless
process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to
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the outside. It spreads around you and in the environment, such that
people around start feeling that peace and grace.
Definition: Intense discussion with your partners or yourself to help find
a solution to a problem
Quote
“Think outside the box.”
-Unknown
-Activity: Give the students a problem and have them brainstorm
solutions in a group.
-Activity 2: Have the students write about a time when they had to
brainstorm about something.
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Definition: to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the
purpose of hearing; give ear.
Quote: Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a
kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act
of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
~Leo Buscaglia
Activity: All students will stand in a long line. The first student in the
line will start a phrase or word by saying it into the next person’s ear.
This will continue until it reaches to the last person in line. The last
student will say out loud what the phrase they heard was. Two lines
may also be created to have two teams compete. The team with
the closest answer from first student to last student wins. This will
improve listening skills.
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Definition: character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a
thing.
Quote: And, of course, method is very important as is a high-quality
specialist (trainer) working with you to keep you going in the right
direction for your improvement and to help create results.
~Sergei Bubka
Story: The Unlucky Merchant
There was once a merchant who, after years of bad business, was
cursing his bad luck.
A traveler was passing by, and he asked the merchant what was
troubling him. Hearing that the merchant was a man of great ill
fortune, the traveler opened his knapsack and pulled out a strangelooking device made from two crystal glasses stuck together. They
were decorated with strange drawings. One glass was green, and
the other red, and inside each glass were some strange seeds, each
the same color as their glass.
"Well, you've just run into some good luck, meeting me," said the
traveler. "This is exactly what you need: two little pots of luck."
The merchant was somewhat surprised, but the traveler explained to
him that these seeds were seeds of luck. The green seeds brought
good luck, and the red seeds brought bad luck. The two glasses
were joined, and when one filled up, it caused multiple incidents of
good or bad luck, according to which type of seed was overflowing
the glass.
The merchant, thrilled, thanked him for the gift, and hardly managed
to hear the traveler’s last words, warning the merchant how difficult
it was to use the glasses effectively. Expectantly, he carefully
examined the green seeds; the lucky ones. Though he wasn't familiar
with them, he was sure he could find someone that could sell him
several new containers, and so he covered the top of the vessel with
great care, being sure not to drop it.
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Then he looked at the red seeds, and thought that the best way to
avoid them filling the glass would be to empty them out, right there.
So that's what he did, and off he went, continuing his journey. A little
later, he met a woman who, seeing his seed jars, must have
recognized them. She ran up to him and asked him for a good
handful of seeds. The merchant roundly refused, and the woman
left, cursing him under her breath.
"What do they want me to do?" he thought, sadly, "I can't just throw
away my good luck."
He continued on his way, and had many other similar encounters.
As time went on, the merchant saw that only the red jar was filling
up. It seemed more or less logical, because otherwise the jars
wouldn't have much power. He just stopped every now and then to
empty the red seeds out.
However, the red jar was filling up faster and faster, and it reached a
point where he could hardly empty it before it had filled up again.
Finally it started overflowing.
"Well, that's gone and done it," thought the merchant, "all I need
now is another pile of bad luck."
He looked all the way back down the road, and saw that the seeds
he had emptied out had grown into great big weeds which had
choked to death all the other plants in the area. When the local
villagers saw this, they were furious, and set about finding who had
caused the destruction of their crops. The merchant almost escaped
suspicion, but the woman who he had refused to give seeds to
betrayed him, and he had to run from that village through a hail of
kicks and punches.
And that was only the start of the series of ill fortune the merchant
had to suffer. Without doubt, those seeds were extremely powerful,
and all that power had backfired against him. In just three days he
tried a hundred times to get rid of those jars, but it would never stop
his run of bad luck. Instead, he had to find some way to fill up the
green jar, and not spill any more red seeds. So he removed the lid of
the green jar, to find, to his horror that most of the green seeds had
disappeared...
While he was lamenting his poor luck, he took a moment to examine
the pictures on the jars. They seemed to be instructions. In the
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pictures the red jar was always closed, and the green one always
opens. It seemed that anyone could take as many green seeds as
they liked. He decided to continue his journey in that manner. Soon
he met a man who asked him for some seeds, and the merchant
told the man to help himself. Immediately after this his luck began to
change. The villagers, who had been chasing the merchant weren't
far off now, but his new friend - who he had given the seeds to came to the rescue by pointing them in the wrong direction.
Similar things occurred with many others he met on the road. The
merchant realized that if, instead of throwing them away, he gave
the seeds as a gift to others, and then the green jar was the one that
would fill up. After offering the seeds to everyone, the green jar
would begin to overflow.
Of course, good luck stayed with him, and wonderful things started
happening. One man he helped became a very rich man, and this
rich man thanked the merchant in the form of luxuries and expensive
gifts. Other people considered the merchant to be such a good
man that they put him forward to be mayor.
Sometime later, the merchant bumped into the traveler who had
given him the jars. After greeting him, the merchant told him of his
adventures, and he thanked him profusely. But before taking his
leave, he asked the traveler:
"Why did you give me the lucky jars? Did you no longer want to have
so much good luck?"
And the traveler, laughing loudly, answered:
"Don't tell me you still have them! Those seeds don't really do
anything! The 'magic' of the jars is pure foolishness: all they do is
make some stupid seeds increase or decrease in number. Some of
them are edible, some of them poisonous, but they have no effect
at all on luck. I heard they were invented by a wizard's stupid,
clumsy, apprentice."
"You what?!" exclaimed the merchant, shocked.
"I think it was an old teacher who found them and realized they
would be a good way to teach people about how best to use your
luck. In effect, keep the bad for yourself, and share the good with
others. And, in truth, that is the only way to attract the good luck and
avoid the bad, and boy, does it work! When you shared out your
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bad luck, and tried to keep the good luck to yourself, you were sure
that no one would want to share the good with you, only the bad.
The seeds had nothing to do with all this. Everything that happened
to you was your own work. Do you see now?"
And the merchant certainly did understand now! And as the traveler
walked off into the distance, with the little jars in his hand, he
searched the faces of the townsfolk, looking for who, among them,
most needed to learn how best to use their luck.
Author- Pedro Pablo Sacristán
Definition: the state of being proficient; skill; expertness.
Quote
“Pen, paper, perseverance, and proficiency.”
~Duane Alan Hahn
Activity
Debate
Enrolling children in formal debate can be a powerful means toward
inspiring confidence and articulate self-expression. Strong and clear
communication skills can provide a lifetime of benefits. Children can
improve academic and interpersonal skills through the extensive
research and critical listening required for success in debate.
Students can emerge from debate experience with confident public
speaking ability and improved sportsmanship. Debate can offer a
boost of confidence for children who struggle with sports or physical
education, due to the highly cerebral nature of the activity.
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Definition: the reason for which something exists or is done, made,
used, etc.
Quote
'It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill
the minds of students with facts... it is to teach them to think, if that is
possible, and always to think for themselves.'
~Robert Hutchins
Story: Purpose of Life
A long time has elapsed since my last dispatch. The silence was due
to my travels while on vacation, that got extended due to certain
developments. Alexander the Great at his death bed said, “My last
wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin – I wish
people to know that I came empty handed into this world and
empty handed I go out of this world.” So be it with all of us. We come
empty handed and go empty handed…….not quite though…… We
come with the destiny of our life in our hands and when we do go,
we carry in our hands the imprints of our actions and the choices we
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opted for, by which we will be remembered by others….. and during
the intervening period, a lot flow thru our hands… in the form of
opportunities, rewards, penalties, lessons leant and imparted, love
taken and given…….the hands are but servants of one’s heart and it
is the heart of the person gone, that is remembered by others.
I know intimately, a towering personality who passed away recently,
who will be remembered for his noble heart and generous hands. He
came from a remote village to a major metro with nothing in hand,
and was always prepared to go back with nothing…. In between,
he scripted a wonderful episode of “rags to riches” story with sheer
perseverance, common sense and business acumen. ..and raised a
big family…. the riches that came his way, was never his own, but
willingly shared with others… he enriched many lives of those who
crossed his path, did not disappoint any hand that sought his
largesse…. Paying tribute to him, his daughter wrote thus, quote “ his
was a life that cannot be encapsulated in any form; he was a
person who was larger than life; his benevolence, his ready wit, his
passion for good things in life, his compassion and his hardworking
nature – made him a truly special person. He was indeed Destiny’s
child; touching so many lives, inspiring them and making a positive
difference in one’s perspective of what this life is all about. Emulating
his attitude and values ‘per se’ would be a difficult task for one, but if
we could incorporate a small percentage of this legacy in our lives, it
will be the best tribute that we can pay to him. His immense pride in
his own identity is a clear indication of his own assessment of his
worth – how wonderful it is to be able to understand your own worth
based on all that you have achieved in life. .. “. Un-quote.
When such an iconic figure to those who know him, lay helpless, frail
and feeble in weak health, the wealth he possessed came to play to
enrich his last days …. the wealth… in the form of loving children who
showered their love and care on his fragile frame; it was a sight to
behold where the communication was between the hearts… no
material wealth can mean anything, to the love and care one
receives in the final days… this is the true Blessing… !!
Again……quote … “How badly we will miss his presence!”
Variyathe Kuttan to his seniors and peers, Kuttettan to his juniors,
Kuttan mama to the entire village of Karakunnu, be it to Narayanan
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or Beerankutty….. Chinna MGR to the residents of St. Thomas Mount,
Nair Saab to his business associates… he essayed each role with
aplomb and won a special place in everyone’s heart…”
unquote…… and to me, he was my father in law.
We now look at not what we have lost, but what we are left with,
and that’s a great deal of values amidst good memories. Purpose of
Life
It’s not enough to have lived. Be determined to live for something.
It should be creating joy for others, working for the betterment of
society, sharing what we have, bringing hope to the lost, and giving
love to the lonely.
Definition: the state or manner of being organized.
1. Quote
“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas
and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The
beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”
~Napoleon Hill
Story: Flea Bags
You know, they reckon Ken the Wizard and Clive The Magician had
one of the best flea collections in world history. Those fleas were the
cleverest, liveliest, strongest fleas of their era, and most useful for all
sorts of spells. Ken and Clive never went anywhere without at least a
thousand fleas on them, always kept safely in one of their bizarre
glass bags, so that everyone could appreciate the fleas' special
qualities.
One time, Ken and Clive happened upon each other in a forest.
Chatting and joking, time passed by quickly and they realized that it
was so late that they would have to camp out in the forest that
night.
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While they were sleeping, Clive the Magician sneezed with such
magical violence that thousands of white-hot sparks shot out of his
nose. Ken and Clive had left their precious fleas on some leaves for
the night and, unfortunately, one of the sparks landed on a leaf and
the whole lot set alight. As the fire started spreading, the two
magicians continued sleeping, and their fleas began to look
decidedly nervous.
They were all terribly clever and strong, so each one of the fleas
thought of their own strategy to escape the fire. However, as they
were still inside the bags, and they each jumped in all different
directions, this meant that the bags stayed exactly where they were.
One of the fleas noticed how they were all leaping in different
directions, with no coordination. He realized that they would never
escape like that. He stopped jumping, and gathered a group of
fleas who he convinced to jump all at once. As they couldn’t agree
where to jump to, the flea suggested that they all jump first forward
and then backward.
The group started jumping together, and the rest of the fleas in the
sack didn't take long to understand that jumping together would
make it easier to escape the fire. So, soon all the fleas were jumping
forwards, backwards, forwards, backwards...
The fleas in the other bag saw this and imitated it. The two glass bags
were now rolling backwards and forwards, towards each other, and
with one last effort they collided and both bags shattered into a
thousand pieces, setting the fleas free. By the time the fire had
woken the magicians, it was already too late. Although they
managed to put out the fire, their precious fleas had jumped far off
into the night.
And nothing more was ever heard of those truly exceptional fleas,
although some people say that to this day they still work together to
help each other survive the dangers of the wild.
Author- Pedro Pablo Sacristán
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1.
Commitment
2. Achievement
3. Collaboration
4. Accountability
5. Contribution
6. Self-appreciation
7. Support
8. Motivation
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WEEK 1
Day 1
Letter homes to parents about activities and support of learning for next
semester. The letters would help have the parents learn the qualities of
leadership we are teaching the students. This will also have the parents motivate
their children to make this life skill. The letter will explain how much effort of
teaching the students will be put into it and exactly how they will be taught.
Day 2
Definition will be introduced to the students and how it helps our way of learning
and leadership. Due to just having a slow pace for the students to learn, the
teachers will let the students to understand the concept at their own pace and
to think of how they can put it to action.
Day 3
Students will better comprehend the word and write sentences containing the
word. They have already learned the definition. When writing the definitions, the
teachers will see how the students understand the word and to put it in their
own words.
Day 4
Students are to give examples of how commitment affects everyday life. This will
help the students understand the importance of commitment in school, a job, or
club. They will be given examples from life experiences of teachers, stories, or
common issues in this skill like sports.
Day 5
Due date of letter signed by parent and agreement of the understanding of
these monthly activities. The returning of the letter will be the only task
due for today so that the students won’t be committed into doing so
much at one time
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Story:
http://www.implementingscrum.com/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-andchicken/
WEEK 2
Day 6
Write a paragraph/short story of a scenario where commitment is
used between the characters. The example of “The Chicken and the
Pig” can be used as a reference to help get the students minds
creative while tying in the skill of commitment.
Day 7
Students make their own pledge or promise to follow on for the rest
of the month. When the President gets committed to running the
country, he recites an oath that he will stay committed to running
this country. So, the students will create their own word of promise on
an activity or anything they want to continue to achieve.
Example:
I,_______________ recognizing the important
responsibility that I am undertaking in serving as a
student for this school hereby pledge to carry out in a
trustworthy and diligent manner the duties and
obligations in my role as a student.
My role: I acknowledge that my primary roles as a
student are (1) to contribute to defining the
organization’s mission and handling the fulfillment of
that mission, and (2) to carry out the functions of the
classroom of the Principle and/or teacher stated by the
rules.
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Day 8
Game 1: What is Commitment?-True or False Game. They will be
asked questions about the characteristics of commitment that they
have learned over the few days and see what they think of
commitment.
Day 9
Game 2: Indoor relay race. The desks will be moved into rows. In
between each row there will be a team of students that will wheel
barrow crawl across the room. Only one student will carry all the
students of their team across, one at a time.
Day 10
Game 3: Paragraph Assembly Line
This is a game that will help teamwork along with commitment. Each
student of a team will write part of a paragraph. They only will write
one sentence each. They must be able to write a complete
paragraph of 4-5 sentences. (Varies due to number of members in
group)
WEEK 3
Day 11
Students give teacher feedback on how well they commit with their
pledges/promises.
Day 12
Students will write a paragraph about whether they have/haven’t
been committed to a certain activity.
Day 13
Game 4: Decision Game-help the student to not over work with too
many activities and to commit with only what they can.
Day 14
Game 5: Elbow tag
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This game will show how kids cannot be committed for too long or
how they won’t let their friends down more than anyone else.
Instructions
1. Divide the group into pairs. Have partners link elbows and stand
in a very large circle, leaving at least 10 feet between each
pair. Now designate one player as "It" -- call him Greg -- and
choose another player, Ann, as the one being pursued. If Greg
can tag Ann, she becomes "It." However, if Ann wants to
escape (and take a rest from running), she simply runs toward
one of the standing couples and links elbows with one of the
pair to make a threesome.
2. In this game, two is company but three is a crowd: When Ann
latches on, the one member of the pair whose arm she did not
take must break away at top speed. This player instantly
becomes new prey for "It" -- until he dashes to yet another pair
for safety. The confusing transitions can provide a break for
weary runners and give even a slow-moving "It" a chance to
catch Ann.
Day 15
Today the students will draw a picture of what they feel about
commitment or what they think it means.
Week 4
Day 16
Create a cartoon of a situation involving commitment in a
sport or activity.
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Day 17
Create a collage that expresses commitment. They can cut out
pictures of activities or sports that involve a major amount of
commitment.
Day 18
Write a poem about a commitment involved in an activity.
Example:
Commitment wrenches you by the gut
And throws you into action
Commitment heals your fear and doubt
Because you have no other option
Commitment causes your intentions to manifest
Even if you don’t believe they can happen
Commitment trumps disbelief
Because you have no other option.
Day 19
Create your own game about commitment. Students will create
their own rules and standards of how the game will be fairly played.
Example: Elbow tag
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Definition: Something accomplished, especially by superior ability,
special effort, and/or great courage.
Quote
A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its
achievement.
-Bo Bennett
Activity: Create a sensory garden - In your kitchen, playroom or
backyard create a sensory garden with a water table, a sand tray
and an art table for your children to experience water play, little toy
hide and seek, texture exploration, clay, paint and finger paint.
Research suggests such sensory play benefits brain development so
start early and play for a lifetime.
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Story: The Teacher
There was a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her
name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade
class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like
most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved
them all the same.
But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in
his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had
watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well
with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he
constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to
the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in
marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then
putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to
review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last.
However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a
ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners; he is a
joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, wellliked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a
terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on
him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest
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and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't
show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and
sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed
of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her
Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper,
except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy,
brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took
pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the
children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with
some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of
perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed
how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the
perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to
say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."
After the children left she cried for at least an hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and
arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked
with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged
him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had
become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie
that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of
her "teacher's pets."
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A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her
that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six
years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then
wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was
still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things
had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it,
and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors.
He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite
teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time
he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to
go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and
favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer -the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter
that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be
married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years
ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the
place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the
groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what?
She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And
she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy
remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's
ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so
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much for making me feel important and showing me that I could
make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said,
"Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that
I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met
you."
Author unknown
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Definition: the act or process of collaborating.
Quote:
Collaboration is no longer painful - or precious.
~Vince Clarke
Activity: FLYING DUTCHMAN
The group forms a circle and holds hands, with one pair remaining
outside the circle. Holding hands, the couple on the outside walks
the perimeter of the circle. They choose a point in the circle to break
the handhold of two people. When that happens, the outside
couple runs around the circle in one direction while the couple
whose handhold was broken runs in the opposite direction. The
couple who loses the race back to the open spot is “it” for the next
round.
—from New Games
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Definition: the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.
Quote: Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without
strategy.
~Anita Brookner
Activity: Armor of the Knight - Out of tinfoil, we choose one of the
leaders to be our Knight and then one by one described each piece
of armor. After we did this we broke into small groups. Each group
was given an article of armor to make and put on our knight. We
split for 10 minutes or so and everyone made their pieces and
attached them to our leader. Then we called on each group to
come up and describe their item and how it can protect us
physically.
Definition: to give (money, time, knowledge, assistance, etc.) to a
common supply, fund, etc., as for charitable purposes.
Quote: I believe in recovery, and I believe that as a role model I
have the responsibility to let young people know that you can make
a mistake and come back from it.
- Ann Richards
Story: Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with
a pig, a duck and a cat.
They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked to
keep clean and tidy. The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all
day. The others never helped. Although they said they meant to,
they were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside,
the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying
in the sun, purring.
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One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she
found a grain of corn.
"Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth, scratched it
with her feet and planted the grain of corn.
During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall
green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely
golden colour. The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for
cutting.
"Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen. Carefully she
cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.
"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into
flour?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the
miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.
In time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house where
the little red hen lived with the pig and the duck and the cat.
"Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red
hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well," said the little red hen. "I shall make the bread myself." She
went into her neat little kitchen. She mixed the flour into dough. She
kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to bake.
Soon there was a lovely smell of hot fresh bread. It filled all the
corners of the house and wafted out into the garden. The pig came
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into the kitchen from his muddy patch in the garden, the duck came
in from the pond and the cat left his place in the sun. When the little
red hen opened the oven door the dough had risen up and had
turned into the nicest, most delicious looking loaf of bread any of
them had seen.
"Who is going to eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.
"I will," grunted the pig.
"I will," quacked the duck.
"I will," purred the cat.
"Oh no, you won't," said the little red hen. "I planted the seed, I cut
the corn, I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made the
bread, all by myself. I shall now eat the loaf all by myself."
The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched as the little red
hen ate the loaf all by herself. It was delicious and she enjoyed it,
right to the very last crumb.
Definition: Grateful for one’s self
Quote: Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape
you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless.
~Scott Hamilton
Activity:
Make a list of the stuff you're good at. It can be anything from
drawing or singing to playing a sport or telling a good joke. If you're
having trouble with your list, ask your mom or dad to help you with it.
Then add a few things to the list that you'd like to be good at. Your
mom or dad can help you plan a way to work on those skills or
talents.
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Definition: To help someone when they need it
Quote: “'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support
them after.”
~William Shakespeare
Activities:
 The trust fall
 Have three of the students (“starter students”) try to move an
extremely heavy weight a certain amount of distance for five
minutes. If they didn’t make it to the mark, move the weight
back to the starting point (if you are outside or have a large
amount of room you can just move the mark around) and tell
them to choose 2 people to help them move the weight and
let them try again. If they make it to the mark, choose a new
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“starter” student. Continue until all of the students have
participated.
 The other day, I was in line at the grocery store. As I waited, I
turned around and found an elderly man in line behind me. I
smiled and said "Hi, How ya doing?" He smiled right back at me
and politely said he was fine. I noticed that he had some heavy
water jugs and kitty litter in his basket. I asked him if he wanted
me to put the water jugs up onto the belt so that the cashier
could scan them. He said he thought he'd be ok because he
didn't think he had to take them out to be scanned and
winked at me. I asked the cashier and she said her scanner
most likely would reach into his basket where the items where.
The elderly man thanked me for trying to help and said not
many people would care about him like I did.
Aurelia
Definition: the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a
reason to act in a certain way.
Quote: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
~Walt Disney
Activity: To Be or Knot to Be
To play this game, an even number of children should form a circle
and face each other. Students close their eyes and reach across the
circle with their right hand to grasp the right hand of another player.
Next, the kids should open their eyes and grab a different person's
left hand using theirs. Finally, the children must disentangle
themselves without letting go of the hands. When the children have
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successfully cooperated with each other, they should end up in one
large circle or intertwined circles.
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1. Initiative
2. Incentive
3. Conflict Resolution
4. Loyalty
5. Intelligence
6. Role Model---Lead by Example
7. Excellence
8. Humility
9. Advocacy
"Whosesoever you go, go with all
your heart."
~ Confucius
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Definition: an introductory act or step; leading action
Quote: “Daily Decisions Determine Destiny”
~Gretchen K. Ulmer
Activity: Find Your Type
Props: Sets of 3x5 cards with matching animals, enough for each
person to have a card
Purpose: Icebreaker
Procedure: Get the group in a circle. Tell everyone they may not
speak. Give each person a card with an animal on it. Tell them to
find their mates by doing something that animal would do. Start
them all at the same time.
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Definition: something that incites or tends to incite to action or
greater effort, as a reward offered for increased productivity.
Quote:
“It is a failure that guides evolution; perfection provides no incentive
for improvement and nothing is perfect.”
~Colson Whitehead
Activity: Students will make their own bingo card of their vocabulary
words from the week. The student who gets bingo first will get an
incentive from the teacher from a small toy to a choice of anything
below the worth of two dollars.
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Definition: Working to solve a problem or challenge
Quote: “Don’t ever let them pull you down so low as to hate them.”
~Booker T. Washington
Story: Recently, my friend's four-year-old had a preschool
classmate over for a play date. All was copasetic until his pal
grabbed a much-loved toy helicopter and took off across the living
room. "He can't play with that!" shouted my friend's kid. "Yes I can!"
yelled the pal, continuing with his flight and accompanying sound
effects. Things went downhill from there — with tears, a dramatic flop
on the couch and ending with my friend’s son saying, "You are not
my friend, and you will never come to my birthday party!"
Our kids will inevitably clash with others — when they're toddling, it's
over the grabbing of buckets and shovels in the sandbox.
I told them to learn to share a toy, that’s how friends play together.
From then on, the pal came to his birthday party ready to share his
toy.
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Time to become creative! Let the students
create posters on what they believe the
definition of these words are, and let them
post them across the school. make this a
group project so that they may start getting
expierence on working together! These four
words are all needed when working
together.
Please do not hesitate to review all the
words from kindergarten to the fifth grade
at this point. Follow the same activity stated
above when reviewing.
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Always
REVIEW!!!!
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“Leadership and learning are indispensable
to each other.”
- John F. Kennedy
In order for the students of the Peach
County School System to be able to gain
leadership skills, they will need to realize
that in order to be a leader; one must
always be willing to learn. During a
student’s elementary years, they begin to
become inspired and motivated. Therefore,
we believe that by following some of the
ideas stated in this lesson plan, they will be
able to realize during the most critical years
of their education that everyone is a
leader. However, some of us need to be
pushed harder than others.
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This lesson plan was made by the Peach County High
School Community Problem Solving Team (CmPS) as
part of Project L.E.A.D.
Leadership, Enhancement, and Development
Team Members who worked on various parts of the project
are:
Carina Alcantar – 11th grade
Rhianna Baldree-12th grade
Colton Cason – 10th grade
Jaylan Dawson – 12th grade
Haley Giddens – 11th grade
Mary Kelly Hedgpeth-12th grade
Caitlyn Hicks- 10th grade
Vermicia Howard - 12th grade
Julian Jones – 9th grade
Justin Jones – 12th grade
Ronald Lyons – 12th grade
Shakia McCrary-12th grade
Morgan McGhee-12th grade
Elizabeth Morales – 12th grade
Luz Clarita Morales – 9th grade
Payton Ogletree – 10th grade
Christopher Poole – 10th grade
Briana Warner – 11th grade
Jamayka Webb – 12th grade
Laura Whyte - 12th grade
Andrew Woodham – 12th grade
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A special thanks to:
Mrs. Mary Jean Banter
PCHS CmPS Coach
Thank you for all the motivation and
support that you have always provided us
so that we may have a great Community
Problem Solving Team! If it was not for the
amazing coach that we have, we would
not have the opportunity to be able to
make such a large impact on our
community. Thank you!
-PCHS CmPS Team
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No matter the age of the students in the
Peach County School System, they have the
capability to become leaders!
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