When I first began pursuing an education to become a School Counselor, I imagined helping students apply for college, explore career paths, and talk about feelings. Although I didn't have a fantastic connection with my own school counselors growing up, I felt a drive to help the next generation access a positive and successful life after high school. In the eight years of my career, however, I have developed an even deeper devotion to student success, and that is through Social-Emotional Learning and Character Education. In some of my earlier jobs, working with someone who demonstrated responsibility, or someone who practiced fairness and kindness, made for an incredibly valuable, fun, and productive workday. On the other hand, a shift with a colleague who practiced none of the above was pretty dreadful. Healthy relationships are also rooted in character and social and emotional awareness. Developing our students' understanding of what it is to be trustworthy and respectful as well as learning how to regulate emotions helps them use skills for meaningful and caring friendships, develop work ethic, and foster a drive to contribute to their communities.
As we are wrapping up our first full week of school, Bonneville dives into September's character trait of Responsibility. We are defining Responsibility as doing what you are supposed to do, planning ahead, using self-control, being accountable for ourselves, and setting a good example for others. At Bonneville, students are practicing Responsibility by cleaning up after themselves, arriving to school on time, doing their best in their classroom roles, and so on. I encourage you to continue the conversation at home around the meaning of Responsibility. Your student may have household chores or duties, have a role on a team or in a club, or be responsible for making sure they brush their teeth every night before bed. Responsibilities can also change over time. Discuss what they used to be responsible for and how that looks different today or how it might be different in a year. We will continue our Character Education at Bonneville throughout the year with each month having its own theme. Character traits are discussed over morning announcements, praised in classrooms and common spaces, and interwoven into core content. I am so grateful to work at a school that values the whole person. We understand that our students are much more than their academics. We believe that every student brings something positive to our school community. Embracing character education has allowed me to see our students for more than their college or job prospects but as humans who are going to make a tremendous difference in our collective future.
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