CHARACTER

= CHARACTER EDUCATION =



For more on TCS Character, go to the TCS Character website.

Good character is not something we are just born with. We all want to be a good person in our family, school, community and the world. We all would like to think that we are caring, thoughtful friends. Sometimes, we may slip and do something that is against our character...something we regret. This page is devoted to discussions, stories and videos that are examples of good character, examples of things that make us feel good and make us all just a little bit better.

At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Lord gave us three things to focus on this school year:

**Be Kind** **Be Respectful** **Be Responsible**

TCS Core Words
Several years ago, the students of TCS came up with core values they thought were important to have at school. Here is the list:

caring, creativity, cheerfulness, confidence, cooperation, courage, empathy,honesty, humor, integrity, leadership, perseverance, respect, responsibility, self-control, self-reliance, trustworthy

** February 8, 2011 **
We had a discussion today about bullying and came up with the following definition and examples of bullying:

//**"Bullying is any action that hurts or embarrasses someone on purpose."**// Bullying can be:

- being left out - physical bullying (pushing, punching, tripping) - saying hurtful words - threatening - spreading rumors

After our conversation about hurtful words, we heard this story:



** NAIL IN THE FENCE ** 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.

Sportsmanship


During the course of the year, third grade has several conversations that revolve around fair play both in gym or out on the playground. Here is a moving video of a //**true story**// that demonstrates //**true**// sportsmanship.


 * Go to:** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDBnKahuNs