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Welcome to Character Insights, Winter 2025!
A strong, sustainable CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative is about more than finding a few minutes each day to talk about character. It’s about intentionally weaving character and culture into every part of the school day.
As educators, we have countless opportunities to shape how students think, act, and treat one another. Our TEAM framework reminds us of four simple ways to do this each day: Teach, Enforce, Advocate, and Model good character.
In this this issue you'll find:
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- an introduction to our TEAM approach,
- ideas for modeling the Six Pillars of Character®,
- an activity to reinforce positive behavior,
- a holiday activity to strengthen relationships,
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tips on advocating good character with families,
- highlights from our store, and
- our CHARACTER COUNTS! Exemplary School highlight.
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TEACH
Teach students about the Six Pillars of Character, what each Pillar means, and what it looks like and does not look like in action.
ENFORCE
Reward good behavior through praise and celebration and discourage bad behavior by imposing fair and consistent consequences.
ADVOCATE
Continually encourage students to live up to the Six Pillars of Character by explaining and showing why demonstrating the Pillars matters.
MODEL
Everything you say and do (or neglect to do) sends a message about your values. Be sure that these messages reinforce your lessons about doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. When you slip, be accountable; apologize sincerely and do better!
You are already doing these things on a daily basis, whether you realize it or not. A little bit of awareness and intention in these areas goes a long way with your students' character development. Keep reading for some quick ideas to implement TEAM in your building.
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As educators, your students view you as leaders, regardless of what your official role may be. They learn about character from watching your actions and how you respond to different situations. Small changes in your behavior can make a big impact on your students. Here is an activity to try as a staff to determine how you can model each of the Six Pillars of Character for your students.
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Split your staff into six groups. Depending on the size of your staff, you may want to split into twelve groups. Aim to have 3-5 people in each group.
- Assign one of the Six Pillars of Character to each group. Each group will need a piece of chart paper and markers. Alternatively, this could be done electronically on a word document.
- Create a T-Chart. One side will be labeled "strengths" and the other side will be labeled "areas for improvement".
- Think about your students behavior connected to the Pillar your group was assigned. What strengths do they have? Where could they improve? Come up with 3-4 examples for each side.
- Pick one behavior that staff could model for their students. It can be a strength or a weakness. Consider how students would feel if they saw staff modeling the positive behavior more often.
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Brainstorm three simple opportunities to model that behavior and share with the rest of the staff.
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| Acknowledging Positive Behavior |
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An important part of enforcing good character is acknowledging when students show positive behavior. There are many different ways to do this. Here is a quick way to get students to notice and celebrate how their peers show the Six Pillars of Character - no materials necessary!
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- Pick one of the Six Pillars of Character and ask students to think about how they have seen their classmates show this Pillar this week.
- Give students the opportunity to shout out these examples of good character to their classmates.
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Optional: create a "shout-out station" in your learning space where students can write down how they have seen their classmates show the Pillar of the Month or one you select to focus on. Share these once a week and give the recipient the note to keep.
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Relationships are built year-round and they are essential to the success of the TEAM framework. Try this activity with students or staff to talk about traditions as the holiday season approaches.
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- Blank paper
- Writing utensils
- Student or staff provided items
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Prior to this activity, have students and/or staff bring in a photo or an item that represents one of their favorite traditions. This can be from a holiday or a meaningful activity. Optional: draw a part of the tradition instead of bringing in items from home.
- Arrange the photos or items around your space. Place a piece of blank paper next to it.
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Everyone will walk around the "museum" and observe the different pieces of favorite traditions. They should write a meaningful question on the paper next to the item as they walk around.
- After the museum tour is complete, everyone will grab their item and questions. Provide the opportunity for people to answer some of the questions and share more about their tradition either in a large group or in small groups.
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Family support is essential to any initiative at your school, and it is especially so for CHARACTER COUNTS! Here are some easy ways to connect with families to advocate for the importance of talking about character at home.
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Send a positive note home, calling out a specific positive behavior you see from their student and how that aligns to the Six Pillars of Character.
- Share our Family Guide with families to support their conversations about character at home.
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Highlight the character traits you are focusing on in your classroom or school in a weekly newsletter.
- Provide an overview of how the Six Pillars of Character are a part of your classroom during conferences.
- Thank the families of your students for being partners in their child's learning.
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| School Highlight: Otis A. Mason Elementary School (FL)
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"CHARACTER COUNTS! is the center of each day at Otis A. Mason Elementary."
- Nicole, school counselor
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Our CHARACTER COUNTS! Exemplary Schools illustrate improvements in students’ character, social-emotional, and academic skills, and a positive school culture. Otis A. Mason Elementary School, in St. Johns County, FL, has embedded the TEAM framework into their school operations. Here's how they implement TEAM in effective ways.
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TEACH: Students receive daily lessons from the Otis A. Mason teachers. These short mini-lessons connect to the "Pillar of the month" and start each day with the reminder that character matters.
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ENFORCE: Celebrating good character is an important part of CHARACTER COUNTS! At Otis A. Mason, they recognize students at monthly assemblies they call "LEADers of Character." Additionally, they use bulletin boards to give students shout-outs for showing good character.
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ADVOCATE: Otis A. Mason connects with families frequently to advocate about the importance of good character. They share a monthly newsletter with families to help promote the connection between school and home; this newsletter includes a section on the "Pillar of the month" and encourages discussions about character at home.
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MODEL: All staff at Otis A. Mason Elementary School participate in annual trainings to stay up to date on CHARACTER COUNTS! implementation. In the 2024-25 school year, this included staff signing their "OMES CHARACTER COUNTS! Contract" to commit to following the Six Pillars of Character. Students also signed this contract. This was a great reminder for staff about the importance of modeling the character they want their students to show.
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About The Ray Center and CHARACTER COUNTS!
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Through public awareness and programming grounded in research, The Ray Center helps create strong, vibrant communities that value positive, healthy relationships and respectful behavior. Our initiatives benefit people of all ages and are easily adaptable for families, schools, workplaces, and athletic teams.
As the global home to CHARACTER COUNTS!, our instruction is inspired by the Six Pillars of Character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. We utilize research-based tools from our partners at the Excellence with Integrity Institute to provide strategies to improve character skills and ensure optimal performance.
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2702 Forest Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50311 US | T 515-271-1910 | F 515-271-1907 | W raycenter.drake.edu
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CHARACTER COUNTS!, the Six Pillars of Character, and Pursuing Victory with Honor are trademarks of the Josephson Institute. CHARACTER COUNTS! was founded by Michael Josephson through the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics.
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This email was sent to kelly.thigpen@stjohns.k12.fl.us.
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