Many Ways To Improve Our Schools

This article really resonated with me as an
educator and parent and I felt the need to share it. A Kentucky teacher
list's 22 different issues with our schools. With Summer around the
corner, or is it? I'm not sure that Mother Nature got the memo that is
is Spring! Seriously, with Summer around the corner, I've always felt it
to be a long stretch of time in between the last day of school and
again to the next grade level. As parents, it's important to find safe
and engaging activities for our children to stay academically motivated
and also physically active during that time and actually always. There
are so many simple ways to engage your children to keep them on their
toes! Check out the article here.

As a mom of grown adults, it was always important to me to know where my
kids were, who they were with and if at all possible, to know what they
were doing. That was then, this is now. A completely new world, new way
of thinking, new way of raising children. (our oldest is 39) Still, many
things remain the same, such as teaching them to have good behavior, to
be respectful of others and of themselves, to be proud of who they are
and what they can do, to have healthy habits, to never give up on tasks,
to persevere. When we teach our children vital core values at a young
age the become a part of who they are and they grow into adults who can
make healthy choices, make their own decisions, and to know that there
are consequences which helps them to look for the good path.

While the schools can't fix the issues we have at home, nor can our homes
fix the issues at school, however, if we can work together to build good citizens, I'd like to think the world would be a better place for all.

We hope you talk with your child about behavior. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. To be a role model
2. To be patient
3. To be a good listener
4. To know the rules, follow the rules at home
5. To know the rules, follow the rules at school
6. Together, make a list of rules, what you expect from your child and display the chart/list
7. Share a story about a time that you misbehaved, what were the consequences

We hope you talk with your child about perseverance. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. To be patient
2. That if at first you don't succeed, TRY, TRY, AGAIN
3. That practice makes perfect
4. To take a break when frustrated, come back again later to try the task again
5.
Share a story with your child that you had to persevere through, while a
task may be hard at first, give it your best and persevere

We hope you talk with your child about friendship. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. That friends can talk together
2. That friends can walk together
3. That friends can sing together
4. That friends can read together
5. That friends can dance together
6. That friends can paint together
7. That friends can laugh together
8. That friends can cook together
9. That friends can learn together
10.That friends can ride bikes together

We hope you talk with your child about healthy habits. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. That a healthy mind is important
2. To read
3. To brush your teeth daily
4. To eat fruits and veggies and a balanced meal
5. To drink plenty of water, not so much soda
6. To exercise daily and your mind deserves the same
7. That if you play a team sport, it's important to follow the rules and be a good sport

We hope you talk with your child about good manners. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. To be a role model
2. To use polite words at home
3. To use polite words in conversations
4. To use polite words when you are talking on your phone
5. To be polite wherever you are in your language and your actions

We hope you talk with your child about respect. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. To respect them self

2. To respect others
3. To respect sisters and brothers
4. To respect the earth
5. To respect their home
6. To respect parents and follow the rules
7. To respect the community

We hope you talk with your child about being responsible. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. That they are responsible for their attitude
2. That they are responsible for the choices you make
3. That they are responsible for their homework
4. That they are responsible for the things they say and do
5. That there are consequences when they are not responsible

We hope you talk with your child about self-esteem. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:
1. To be proud of who they are
2. That when they have a talent, and, no doubt that they do, share it with others, they'll learn more about you
3. That a smile goes a long way
4. To believe in themselves

We hope you talk with your child about being warm-hearted. Below are some simple ideas to teach them:

1. To be helpful in the home

2. To be helpful in the classroom
3. To ask parent(s) how they can be helpful
4. To write a thank you note to someone they love
5. To pick up trash in the community
6. To tell a member of the community that they are appreciated for their hard work
7. To do volunteer work

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn".
Benjamin Franklin
Characters of Character has published over 30 books to help teach our children the
above character traits, we have brought our characters to life in
costumes for fun visits, and we are now offering our Character Painting
Kits for each of the characters. Simply visit the individual character
pages and you will see the abundance of resources available to help
teach our children these values. My email is jonidowney310@gmail.com