The Laws of Life Essay Character Education/SEL
Program in the Plainfield Public Schools
Maurice J. Elias, Debbie Neft, Keli Bryan, Sarah Parker, Jennifer Rosenblatt, Dena Schoenholz
August 2004
What is it?
The Laws of Life are the core values that we take with us wherever we go and
whatever we do. The Laws of Life Essay Contest was originated by the John Templeton
Foundation (www.lawsoflife.org). Its purpose is to challenge young people of all ages to
discover for themselves the values that will guide them throughout life. The Laws of Life
Essay Contest emphasizes reflection and writing. It encourages students to think about
the people and experiences that have helped to shape their values. It challenges them to
take a stand for what they believe in and then build the literacy skills needed to
communicate their beliefs in a clear and compelling manner.
LOL Programs Overview:
 Year 1 (2000-2001): The LOL Essay Contest started in Plainfield with all 5th
grade classes in all 10 elementary schools participating.
 Year 2 (2001-2002): 5th and 8th grade students wrote LOL essays and a LOL Logo
contest started as a LOL “booster” session for the 6th graders (since they had
written essays the year before, this provided them an opportunity to think again
about the values they had decided were important to them in elementary school).
 Year 3 (2002-2003): 5th, 8th, and 11th grade students wrote LOL essays. The 6th
grade LOL Logo contest continued and the LOL Slogan contest was implemented
as a booster session for the 9th graders. The winning slogan and logo became the
basis for the design of the Laws of Life T-Shirts and publicity posters.
 Year 4 (2003-3004): 5th, 8th, and 11th grade students wrote LOL essays. The 6th
grade LOL Logo contest and the 9th grade LOL Slogan contest continued.
In addition to 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grade students’ involvement, middle and high
school students have been selected (through a mini LOL essay writing exercise) to judge
the essays and chose the winners.
The LOL programs culminate each year in a district-wide banquet in April to
celebrate the successes of our students. Prizes are awarded to runners-up from every
school and to overall district winners from each of the 5th, 8th, and 11th grade contests.
The banquet is a one-of-a-kind event which brings together students, teachers, parents,
principals, and community members to celebrate and reflect on the importance of
students contemplating their values and building sound character. The banquets have
been covered by regional newspapers and cable stations and have been attended by
school board members, corporate sponsors, and the mayor. Different groups of Plainfield
students have been involved in the celebration such as the PHS color-guard, elementary
school band, and PHS dancers. It is also worth noting that a number of individual
schools also have their own local banquets.
The Laws of Life programs have truly become an integral and beloved part of the
Plainfield school district experience and the Plainfield community.
What are the expected outcomes?
All of the LOL programs encourage students to think deeply about their values and
character, which is a critical component of developing the social and emotional skills to
help students be successful in school and in life. The LOL programs are SEL-promoting
activities which are incorporated into existing curricula (such as literacy lessons which
employ the district essay-writing rubric, history lessons during Black history month, etc.).
In addition to teaching SEL and academic skills the programs allow teachers to get to
know their students on a different level and gives them the opportunity to give their
students the chance to be recognized and rewarded for their talents and values by the
entire district and community. It blends character education with core academic
requirements combined with the incentive of participating in a fun and exciting contest.
After the 2nd year of the contest, teachers were asked to complete an evaluation of the
LOL essay Contest. When asked about the most valuable aspects, teachers reported
multiple outcomes such as the quote below by an 8th grade teacher at Hubbard:
“The most valuable aspect was the students' opportunity to reflect on their own
development of self. Many students found self-worth they had not discovered before
now.”
Who are the program partners?
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Templeton Foundation: Partly funded the project in Year 1 & 2, and continues to
support our efforts with information folders, pamphlets, etc.
Corporate sponsors: Donate either money or prizes each year. Sponsors have
included: Gateway, McDonalds, Plainfield Fire Dept, Plainfield Health Center,
Comcast Cable, and Fraternities & Sororities.
Community Judges: Selected the winning essays for the past two years. The
judges have included the Mayor, a Fireman, a Pastor, a local businessman,
administrator from the county college, representatives of senior citizens groups,
fraternities, sororities, and school board members.
Parents: A representative from the PTO is included in the LOL Subcommittee.
Parents are informed of the contests and their permission is obtained for the child
to participate. Parents of all winning students are invited to attend the districtwide banquet and have a professional picture taken with their child, and their
child’s teacher, during the party.
Other community involvement: The logos and slogans produced by the 6th and 9th
graders are put on display in a local retirement community (this is overseen by the
LOL subcommittee and Laura Fattal). Signs and T-shirts from the LOL programs
can be seen regularly throughout Plainfield!
Who is involved in the school setting?
The LOL Subcommittee is headed by the co-chairs Claudine Lewis and Gina OgburnThompson and consists of a “point person” from each school, as well as representatives
from administrative departments, the PTO, and from the Rutgers SEL team. Every facet
of the LOL programs are spearheaded and directed by the members of the subcommittee.
The building point people are responsible for helping to implement the contests at their
schools including supporting the teachers involved, relaying information from the
Subcommittee, and delivering and distributing the LOL-related materials.
The teachers responsible for implementing the LOL Essay Contests in their
classrooms are: all 5th grade teachers, Maxson 8th grade Social Studies teachers, Hubbard
Language Arts teachers, and PHS 11th grade Science teachers. These teachers attend a
LOL training at the beginning of the school year and once again right before the contests
begin. At these trainings teachers learn the basics about the contest, receive the necessary
contest materials, hear from “veteran” LOL teachers the successful techniques they have
used in their classrooms for implementing the contest, and as a group discuss methods to
incorporate the contest into their existing curricula.
The middle and high school point people shoulder a lot of the responsibility for
carrying out the 6th grade logo contest and the 9th grade slogan contest. They orient the
art teachers in each school how to implement the contests and distribute all of the
necessary materials. Both contests are held at the beginning of the school year (around
October) and the winner of each is chosen by the LOL Subcommittee. The winning logo
and slogan are featured on all LOL materials (e.g., posters, T-shirts, letterhead) for that
year. All of the submissions are featured in displays in their respective schools and/or in
community settings (such as the retirement home). The slogan and logo winners are
attend the district-wide banquet and are recognized for their achievements.
Students are involved as essay “screeners” for all three of the essay contests. Seventh
and 8th graders, from both middle schools, screen the 5th grade essays together, 10th
graders screen the 8th grade essays, and 12th graders screen the 11th grade essays. The
middle and high school LOL point people are responsible for recruiting and selecting the
screeners. Interested students apply for the position by submitting a teacher
recommendation along with a short version of a LOL essay. The selected screeners are
trained in the LOL essay rubric and work everyday after school for one week. Every
essay is read by two screeners and receives an averaged rubric score. The screeners
receive monetary compensation for their time and hard work. The screeners are invited
to attend the district-wide banquet and have emceed this event in the past.
The essays chosen by the screeners are then passed on to a group of community
judges who are trained in the use of an evaluative rubric. Each essay is read by two
judges and their scores are averaged to produce the overall winners. The judges are
invited to the district-wide banquet and often participate by announcing the names of the
winners.
Schools typically throw their own LOL banquet/celebration which is coordinated by
the school’s point person. The LOL Subcommittee members oversee the district-wide
banquet. The banquet includes the essay, logo, and slogan winners and their parents, the
student screeners and community judges, the LOL Subcommittee members,
representatives from the corporate sponsors (including Templeton), SEL representative
from Rutgers, and district board members. During the celebration the student winners
receive their awards and the top winners read their essay. In addition student musical and
dance groups perform throughout.
What is the structure for implementation?
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Grade 5 LOL Essay Contest:
o The LOL point person in each school is responsible for communicating
information from the LOL Subcommittee to their 5th grade teachers and
for distributing all LOL materials.
o All 5th grade teachers attend two LOL training sessions (run by the
Subcommittee).
o The teachers implement the contest in their class(es) and then select the
top essays to be entered into the contest. Those essays are submitted with
a cover sheet (including a parental permission form) with a random ID# so
their essay can not be identified by the screeners and judges.
o 7th & 8th grade screeners narrow down the submitted essays and
community judges choose the winners.
o Each school throws their own LOL celebration after the contest, overseen
by their point person.
Grade 8 LOL Essay Contest
o The LOL point person in each school is responsible for communicating
information from the LOL Subcommittee to their 8th grade teachers and
for distributing all LOL materials.
o All 8th grade social studies teachers from Maxson and language arts
teachers from Hubbard attend two LOL training sessions (run by the
Subcommittee).
o The teachers implement the contest in their class(es) and then select the
top essays to be entered into the contest. Those essays are submitted with
a cover sheet (including a parental permission form) with a random ID# so
their essay can not be identified by the screeners and judges.
o 10th grade screeners narrow down the submitted essays and community
judges choose the winners.
o Each school throws their own LOL celebration after the contest, overseen
by their point person.
Grade 11 LOL Essay Contest
o The LOL point person in each school is responsible for communicating
information from the LOL Subcommittee to their 8th grade teachers and
for distributing all LOL materials.
o The teachers implement the contest in their class(es) and then select the
top essays to be entered into the contest. Those essays are submitted with
a cover sheet (including a parental permission form) with a random ID# so
their essay can not be identified by the screeners and judges.
o 12th grade screeners narrow down the submitted essays and community
judges choose the winners.
o All 11th grade science teachers from PHS attend two LOL training
sessions (run by the Subcommittee).
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Grade 6 LOL Logo Contest
o The LOL point person orients the 6th grade art teachers in their school and
helps them to implement the Logo contest at the beginning of the school
year.
o The LOL Subcommittee chooses the winning Logo, which is printed on all
LOL materials that year.
o Other Logo entries are displayed in their school (overseen by the art
teachers or LOL point person) and in the community (overseen by LOL
Subcommittee members and Laura Fattal).
Grade 9 LOL Slogan Contest
o The LOL point person orients the 9th grade art teachers at PHS and helps
them to implement the Slogan contest at the beginning of the school year.
o The LOL Subcommittee chooses the winning Slogan, which is printed on
all LOL materials that year.
o Other Slogan entries are displayed in their school (overseen by the art
teachers or LOL point person) and in the community (overseen by LOL
Subcommittee members and Laura Fattal).
District-wide LOL banquet
o The LOL Subcommittee oversees all aspects of the district-wide banquet:
catering, decorations, entertainment, speeches, awards, invitations, etc.
LOL committee members (usually the LOL point person from each school) plan the LOL
programs at the beginning of the year and report back to their schools. Teachers who
implement the programs attend two trainings by LOL committee members. LOL point
people oversee the LOL-related materials at their school, and their school-wide
celebration (usually held a few weeks before the district-wide banquet).
What is the timeline for implementation?
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LOL Planning (i.e. fund-raising, writing memos, putting together LOL teacher
packets) is done by the LOL Subcommittee chairpersons during the summer, and
the whole Subcommittee throughout the year.
Grade 5, 8, and 11 LOL Essay Contests:
o All involved teachers attend a LOL training session at the beginning of the
school year (around October) and again right before the contest begins
(December)
o The contest starts in mid-January and concludes at the end of February.
o At the end of the contest the teachers choose the best essays from their
class(es) to submit to the contest. A permission forms to enter the contest
are distributed and collected by the teacher.
o The essays are screened and judged from mid-March to the beginning of
April.
o Individual school celebrations usually occur in March and April.
o The district-wide banquet occurs at the end of April.
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Grade 6 LOL Logo Contest and Grade 9 LOL Slogan Contest
o The Logo & Slogan contests occur in late-September/early-October and
culminate with all of the entries being submitted by the art teachers to the
LOL Subcommittee.
o The LOL Subcommittee chooses the winners as quickly as possible
(usually mid-October) and then proceeds with printing up the LOL
materials with the new Logo and Slogan.
o In October-December the other Logo entries are displayed in their school
and in the community.
District-wide LOL banquet is held at the end of April.
Evaluation
o The LOL Subcommittee chairpersons send out a curriculum feedback
survey to all personnel involved with the contest (e.g. teachers, principals,
literacy coaches) in May.
o The results of the survey are compiled during the summer.
What do we consider to be the essential ingredients for success, also
referred to as Key Elements or Active Mechanisms of Change?
The LOL programs provide a unique opportunity for students to reflect on, express,
and share with peers, teachers, parents, and the community the values and morals that are
most important to them. Helping students identify positive characteristics and values and
guiding them towards recognizing how these characteristics play an important role in
their own lives is a powerful activity. It builds values that will forestall dropout, decrease
the likelihood of violence, help students feel more connected to school, and lead to
improved academic performance and school climate.
To allow students to get the most out of these character-building activities, some
essential ingredients for success include:
 Adequate training and support for teachers involved in the LOL programs so they
feel confident in implementing the programs and are able to fit it into their
existing curricula.
 A LOL Subcommittee that consists of representatives from ALL schools in the
district.
 Clear communication between LOL Subcommittee members and those involved
in LOL programs at their school.
 Administrative support for the Subcommittee and the chairpersons to manage the
high volume of paperwork involved.
What changes in student behavior have been/will be evaluated?
LOL Evaluations Overview:
 Year 1 (2000-2001): Student SEL surveys at the end of the school-year for 5th
grade (only for Jefferson).
 Year 2 (2001-2002): Student & Teacher SEL surveys at the beginning and end of
the school-year for 5th grade; Curriculum feedback surveys.
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Year 3 (2002-2003): Student & Teacher SEL surveys at the end of the school-year
for 5th grade; 6th grade LOL interviews (evaluates effects of Year 2).
 Year 4 (2003-3004): Character student & teacher surveys collected at the end of
the school-year for 5th, 6th, 8th, and some 9th & 11th graders; 6th & 7th grade LOL
interviews; Curriculum feedback surveys.
During the 2002-2003 we interviewed over 300 6th graders about their Laws of
Life Contest experience from the previous year. Here is what they said:
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Over half (57%) thought the LOL contest was “very” or “extremely” fun.
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The majority (55%) found it “not at all” or “a little” difficult to figure out their Law
of Life, however almost a quarter (24%) found it “very” or “extremely” difficult, with
the rest (21%) finding it “somewhat” difficult to figure out their Law of Life.
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When asked about writing the LOL essay most students (54%) said it was “a little” or
“somewhat” difficult to write, with 29% stating it was very or extremely difficult, and
18% found it “not at all” difficult to write.
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43% felt it was easy to explain their Laws of Life in an essay, whereas 24% found it
only somewhat easy, and 33% felt it was not easy at all.
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83% said it is very or extremely important to them to live out their Law of Life.
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77% think about their Law of Life “sometimes”, “often”, or “all the time” when in a
tough situation.
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83% find it somewhat, very, or extremely helpful to think about their Law of Life
when in tough situations.
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58% disclosed that it is “a little” or “somewhat” difficult to live their Law of Life in
tough situations, with 33% admitting it is “very” or “extremely” difficult for them.
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86% of the students were “very” or “extremely” proud of their Law of Life essay.
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92% stated they live their Law of Life “sometimes”, “often”, or “all the time”, but
thought only 66% of other students did the same.
When asked who helps them with hard things in and outside of school the
students overwhelmingly said their parents, with teachers coming in second, followed by
other adult family members.
A series of questions asked students if they would like to express their Laws of
Life in ways other than essay writing; the vast majority of students approved. They
mentioned such modalities as photography, music, art, and videography as their main
preferences. This has given impetus to the Laws of Life in the Arts project at Plainfield
High School.
How is implementation monitored and what feedback process takes
place to allow for modification of the program?
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To monitor implementation:
o LOL curriculum surveys are distributed at the end of the school year and
the data is compiled during the summer. In the fall, the LOL
Subcommittee examines the data and improves the program each year in
response to the feedback.
o Middle school interview data provides some insight into how many
students participated and how they experienced the process. Feedback
from middle school students has given direction to integrating Laws of
Life into the Visual and Performing Arts curriculum in Plainfield.
To assess outcome:
o The SEL and character teacher and student surveys administered at the
end of each school year can provide baseline data for the programs
implemented in the following school year. Changes in SEL skills and
character can be tracked from year to year to assess the impact of the
programs.
o Appendix A contains the cover page of a comprehensive report of the data
system developed for use by Plainfield in Grades 5-12 to monitor progress
in the character of its students. In addition, the Teacher Character Rubric
is available for incorporation into secondary-level report cards, which
would serve the purpose of creating an ongoing dialogue about character
as a fundamental part of the student evaluation system in Plainfield. This
would also be consistent with recent changes in the system used to
evaluate teachers, in which creating a caring community conducive to
learning is a fundamental part of teachers’ roles.
The Urban Dreams Project. One way of giving feedback about the Laws of Life
work to the community, educators, and the general public is to incorporate some of the
students’ Laws of Life writing and other creative expressions into a volume with the
working title, Urban Dreams. Such a book will show the public what lies inside even
our most disadvantaged and troubled youth, waiting for outlets and opportunities for
social contribution. Further, this volume will help operationalize what is meant by
“character education” and the “Laws of Life” concept to the public in an appealing,
sensible manner that will also show strong links to academic skill building.
The Urban Dreams book project team has been developing procedures, working
on getting permissions, and setting up plans to capture the various Laws of Life-related
products created by students. An SEL/CE team created an exciting procedure to kick off
the Laws of Life Essay writing in grades 8 and 11 that seems to have meaningfully
increased student interest and participation. The summer of 2004 was spent collecting,
cataloguing, and analyzing all of the existing essays from the prior Laws of Life contests
in Plainfield over the past four years. Essays from significant community adults are
being solicited to be included as part of this volume.