Word+of+the+Week

As often as we can, we will have a **Word of the Week**. We will talk about the meaning of the word and try to identify people or situations around school that demonstrate our word. Many of these words come from conversations with TCS students about what actions demonstrate good character in a friend, classmate or colleague. = =

A Good Story for Great Friends
There once was a little girl who had a bad temper. Her mother gave her a bag of nails and told her that every time she lost her temper, she must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the girl had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as she learned to control her anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. She discovered it was easier to hold her temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the girl didn't lose her temper at all. She told her mother about it and the mother suggested that the girl now pull out one nail for each day that she was able to hold her temper. The day passed and the young girl was finally able to tell her mother that all the nails were gone. The mother took her daughter by the hand and led her to the fence.

She said, "You have done well, my daughter, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one." You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say "I'm sorry," the wound is still there. A verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one.

Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. So treat them well.



= October 5, 2009 =



Our word for this week is //**responsibility**//. We will be discussing our responsibilities in school and out.

//I have the **responsibility** of making my bed every morning.//

= September 29-October 2 =

Compassion


Our word for this week is **//compassion//**. Third graders talked about caring for a friend - being thoughtful, noticing when someone was sad and then doing something about it.

//I showed **compassion** when I comforted a sad friend.//