Week 13: Be Honest

This week we discussed the importance of being honest with ourselves and others, and how we shouldn't steal, lie, or cheat.  My parents used to tell us the story of the little boy who cried wolf, so I figured I should share it with the students.  While some of them had already heard it, it was good to reiterate the importance of being honest.  


I also presented the students with some situations to test their integrity and these situations would provide good examples for discussion. What would you do if you found a purse in the bathroom at the mall?  What would you do if the answers fell off the teacher's desk during the test?  The kids answered with very interesting decisions, but it provided good conversation and helped the students understand what is right and wrong.

Week 12: Save for Tomorrow

My parents are both in the business field, and have always encouraged us to save our money.  I used to dread getting money for my birthday because my dad would take it straight to the bank.  Now, as a college student, I don't have to worry about being the "poor college kid" because my parents taught me the importance of saving much more than I spend.  My friends and I always joke about how I spend no money when we go shopping, while they blow through their paychecks, but I know that as I grow older, I will be happy I have saved.

When I signed up to be a character coach, I was told that these kids really need to have this lesson taught because they spend money as fast as they earn it.  I decided I would give each student a penny.  The next week, if they still have their penny, they would be given a nickel.  The following week, a dime, and then finally a quarter.  I was shocked when most of the students didn't even have their penny during the second week. No one made it to the quarter week, and I just couldn't believe they had found a way to spend such a small amount of money.  

We discussed the importance of saving money for college, weddings, buying a car, owning a house, and having money set aside for any emergencies that may come up.  I hope that some of these students took my advice to save money.  

Week 11: An Attitude of Gratitude

When I came upon this lesson, I wish I would have gone through it with the students during Thanksgiving week, but I believe anytime is a good time to reinforce the importance of gratitude.


As a child, my parents always stressed the importance of saying please and thank you.  It was expected of my sister and I that we used our manners, and I think it has paid off.  We were always required to write thank you notes to relatives and friends who gave us birthday presents, which made for great practice when I needed to write thank you notes to potential employers after interviews.


With his lesson, I wanted to be sure the students knew the importance of writing thank you notes, so I did a demonstration with them.  I gave each student a fun, decorated piece of paper and we did a mock thank you note addressed to their teacher.  It's important for them to be appreciative of their teachers, as they are working extremely hard to help their students.  


We also discussed things they are thankful for and each student took a turn writing their thoughts on the chalkboard.  

Week 10: It's Better to Compliment than Criticize

Many times, we say hurtful things without thinking.  For this lesson, I had a volunteer come to the front of the room to squeeze toothpaste from the tube onto a plate for a few seconds.  Then I told the student that he had to get the toothpaste all back into the tube.  As this is quite hard to do, I asked the students if they had ever said something and then immediately wished they could take it back.  


I have frequently observed the students being very critical towards each other, instead of being well-mannered.  I had each student give a quick compliment to every other student, as I feel that positive reinforcement and receiving unexpected compliments can lead to a happier life.  I also suggested that if they held any grudges against people in the class that they learn to forgive them, and instead of getting angry next time, they try to work it out.  

Week 9: Read for Fun, Read to Achieve, Read to Succeed

One of the most difficult things for me to see in my students at Oyler was their inability to read books appropriate for their age level.  I felt disheartened because reading was always stressed with such high importance in my house when I was growing up.  Nowadays, I yearn for relaxing weeks spent on the beach reading books.


I wasn't exactly sure how to handle the students' low reading levels, so I kept encouraging them to read as much as they could, whether it was at school or at home.  Many read to their younger siblings, so I praised them and used that as a fun and easy example of a way to do reading.


I encouraged the students to read whenever possible, even if they are reading street signs, posters, labels at the grocery, etc.  I want them to be successful in life, but it would be very difficult to achieve success without the ability to read.


They each filled out a sheet about three books they have read, and three books they want to read in the future.  I think it is always important to have goals, so I felt this would encourage the kids to keep reading. 

Responsibility in the Business World

"Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility." - Michael Korda

I recently read "Being the Boss" by Linda Hill and Kent Lineback, a book that details the imperatives for becoming a great leader.  The book has many paradoxes of the business world.  One of these is "You are Responsible for What Others Do."  As a manager of a project or a team, one must be able to answer to a vice president or an upper-level manager about flaws in projects, initiatives that may be failing, etc.  It's hard to know what everyone else is thinking, so being a leaders requires remaining calm, but knowing what the team is doing to try to make the project more successful.  

As I grow and develop in the business world, and someday am promoted to manager, it's always important to remain humble.  Many managers focus on their rights and status, instead of being responsible and accountable for their team, projects, and actions, all duties that come with the title.

Week 8: Take Responsibility for your Actions and Words

Taking responsibility for our actions is very important in today's world, yet many times, it is easier to push the blame on others or outside circumstances.  Unfortunately, this is what younger generations see and accept it as a "normal" behavior.  Luckily, I was able to talk to the students at Oyler about taking more responsibility for their actions and encouraging their friends to do the same.


As always, we started off discussing the definition of responsibility, and the kids had the general gist of the word's meaning.  I gave the students certain scenarios in which they were encouraged to take full irresponsibility for their actions.  We discussed the scenarios as a group to be sure everyone fully understood what taking responsibly meant.  To add a bit more fun, some students were asked not to take responsibility for their actions and the other students found them to be more rude and mean - which reinforced the importance of taking responsibility.  


Recently, I took on an executive position in a transitional organization on campus.  As the newsletter editor-in-chief, it is my job to work with all of the cabinet members to get the word out about events on campus.  I also have to work with the University's PR office to be sure we are following proper code for press releases.  I was given direction by a cabinet member to get further directions on a press release that needed to be sent out.  I contacted UC, but then found out later that day that I wasn't given the correct information from the cabinet.  I was confronted by the president of the organization, apologized for taking action without double checking with him, and made sure to reiterate that it would never happen again.  I admitted I was wrong, and took full responsibility for my actions.