SARASOTA MILITARY ACADEMY

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 2008-09

Mrs. Fran Marx, Director of Guidance

Each month we will focus on a concept that is involved with positive character development, such as positive attitude. The purpose of doing this is to help all of us become better people by incorporating these qualities into every aspect of our lives. In order to give everyone a chance to plan how to best utilize the challenges and quotes concerning the concept for the month, the entire year of concepts, challenges and quotes will be posted.

A.    Everyone in school will consider this concept. By this we mean that each teacher will be encouraged to integrate this concept into the lessons as opportunity arises, and that every student and parent will be informed as to what the concept of the month is.

B.     Example questions to ask in considering this concept could be:

1.      What does this word or do these words mean to me?

2.      How do I see this exhibited in school, in life, at home? Give examples.

3.       How would someone know that I was a person who had a “positive attitude”?

4.       What behaviors would they see?

5.      Do you know a person whom you consider to have a “positive attitude”?

6.      What are your thoughts about that person?

7.      Do you know a person whom you consider to have a “negative attitude”?

8.      What are your thoughts about that person?

9.      What are the consequences of having a “positive attitude”?

10.   What are some consequences of having a “negative attitude”?

11.  How would having a “positive or negative attitude” help or hinder me from having what I want in life?

12.  On a scale of one to ten, how often do I exhibit a “positive attitude”? 1 being never and 10 being always.

13.   Using that same scale, how “positive” in my attitude do I want to be by the end of the semester?

14.   What must I do differently to achieve that goal?

15.  If I don’t know how to change, who can I ask?

16.   Am I willing to do it?

2.      We encourage parents to use the above questions as a springboard for discussion within their families.

SARASOTA MILITARY ACADEMY

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR 2008-09

Definitions are from the American Heritage Dictionary

Mrs. Fran Marx, Director of Guidance

SEPTEMBER:

Positive Attitude (what better way to start the year)

One definition of positive is “measured or moving in a direction of increase, progress, or forward motion”. Attitude is described as “a state of mind or feeling with regard to some matter: disposition”

Challenge of the month:

·         Look for the good in others and in situations. Think and speak only things that are positive. If you find yourself thinking a negative thought or saying negative words, stop and make a change.

·          Think about what you allow into your life. Watch (TV, movies, computer, etc.), listen (radio, CDs, other people talking etc.) and participate in only positive things.

·         Parents, students and teachers: be a role model of a person with a positive attitude.

Quotes:

• Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be – Abraham Lincoln
• Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery. – Anne Frank
• Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has – Epictetus

OCTOBER

Responsibility (early enough in the year to ensure success by year’s end)

Some definitions of being responsible are, “capable of making moral or rational decisions on one’s own, and therefore answerable for one’s behavior, able to be trusted or depended upon, reliable. Based upon or characterized by good judgment or sound thinking.”

Challenge of the month

1. Take time to reflect on the degree to which you accept personal responsibility.
   • Students, are you making a plan for your life after high school? Are you taking advantage of the resources available to you on the SMA website and in the guidance office?
   • All of us: are we living a life which exemplifies responsibility as described above? How can we do better? Are we working to be the best we can be?

2. Take action on the results of the above reflection.

3. Reflect and act on how you can be a more responsible citizen – in class, at home, in your community. What actions can you take to make your world a better place now than when you entered it?

Quotes:

• Men of character are the conscience of the society to which they belong – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• There’s no place where success comes before work, except in the dictionary – Donald Kimball
• Virtue is a kind of health, beauty, and good habit of the soul – Plato
• Nothing really sets human nature free but self-control  - Paul Bottome
• Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world – George Bernard Shaw

NOVEMBER

Courage (as we celebrate Thanksgiving, think about the courage that was shown by the pilgrims, our founding fathers, and our ancestors when they left everything they knew and came to an unknown place to start a new and hopefully better life. Think about the courage shown by our Armed Forces to keep us free. Think about the courage it takes us and the members of our families, to make the right choices and do the right things)

Courage is defined as, “the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery; valor…Courage suggests a reserve of moral strength on which one may draw in time of emergency.”

Challenge of the month.

1. Students, parents, and teachers: Talk about the daily challenges each of us faces that call on us to be courageous (see definitions above)
2. Stand up for at least one thing that is good and right and true each day. At the end of the day, look yourself in the mirror and be proud that you were courageous that day.
3. Be courageous enough to find (which means make a plan to develop yourself) and be your best self.

Quotes:

• Too many people are praying for mountains of difficulty to be removed, when all they really need is courage to climb them. – Unknown
• For those who will fight bravely and not yield, there is triumphant victory over all the dark things of life – J. Allen
• One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest. – Maya Angelou
• Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Don’t sell out – Christopher Reeve

DECEMBER

Communication (As we enter into the holiday season, when families and friends get together or don’t, communication is essential. When we learn to communicate properly, we are able to express our thoughts, needs, and expectations as well as listen to the thoughts, needs, and expectations of those around us. Consequently, we can learn to live at peace with each other.)

 Challenge of the month

1. If there is someone with whom you are holding a grudge, make a decision to forgive that person. Look for the good in that person and/or think about that person from a more positive perspective.
2. Open the doors of communication by talking with that person in a non-emotional manner. Listen to what the other person has to say and try to understand situations from his/her perspective. Then, in a calm manner, express your thoughts, feelings, needs or expectations.
3. If you are already at peace with everyone, congratulations! As you get together with friends or family, remember and share with each other the happy times you spent together. Also, you can create new memories by talking and doing positive things together.
4. If the people with whom you spend time have different expectations about how the holidays should be celebrated, talk about what each person is expecting and be willing to compromise so that everyone’s needs and expectations are met to some degree.
5. Allow others the right to have their own opinions, even if those opinions do not agree with yours.

Quotes:

·         The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention. - Kahlil Gibran.

·         The truth never becomes clear as long as we assume that each one of us, individually, is the center of the universe - Thomas Merton.

·         Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to the amount of consideration we show toward others - Earl Nightengale

·         A man's words will always express what has been treasured in his heart - Luke 6:45.

·         Execute every act of thy life as though it were thy last – Marcus Aurelius

·         Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

·         Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love the truth – Joseph Joubert

·         A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while, he knows something – Wilson Mizner

·         The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. – Dorothy Nevill

·         Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something – Plato

·         If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself, you should say: “He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned – Epictetus

·         The emphasis in sound discipline must be on what’s wrong, rather than who’s to blame – George Odiorne

·         To show resentment at a reproach is to acknowledge that one may have deserved it – Tacitus

JANUARY

Self - concept (when the New Year comes, we are bombarded with the best diets, the best exercise routines, and encouragement to make New Year’s Resolutions. Let us use this month as a time of reflection. How do we see ourselves? Is this view accurate? What are our strengths and weaknesses? By knowing them we can maximize and appreciate our strengths and overcome our weaknesses.)

The definition of concept is, “a general idea or understanding, especially one derived from specific instances or occurrences”. Self can be defined as, “the qualities of one person distinguishing him from another; personality or character; individuality or an individual’s consciousness of his own being or identity”.

Challenge of the month

1. Take 15 minutes per day to think about yourself – strengths, weaknesses, how you are perceived by others and by yourself, are the views accurate.
2. After taking a few days working on the first challenge, write down your thoughts.
3. Reflect on what you have written and decide what you would like to keep the same about yourself and what you would like to change.
4. What could you do to improve yourself by the end of this year if there were no obstacles in your way? Write down your ideas.
5. Write down one thing you could do differently this month to move you toward this change. Each month, reevaluate your progress and add one thing you could do differently to take you closer to your goals.

Quotes:

FEBRUARY

Love/friendship (during this month of Valentines and romance, it would be good to reflect on what love and friendship really are.)

A friend is defined as, “a person whom one knows, likes and trusts”. From my personal definition, I would include, “a person who wants what is best for you”.

Love is defined as “an intense affectionate concern for another person”. For those of you who read the Bible, read 1 Corinthians 13 for a more extensive definition.

Challenge of the month:

1. Make a list of the qualities you include when defining friendship. Which qualities do you include when defining love? Write them down.
2. Write down the names of all those you love and who love you. Do they/you possess the qualities you listed above? If not, what additional qualities do they possess that enable you to feel loved by them? What additional qualities do you express to show love to others?
3. Repeat the exercise described in #2 including the names of those you consider friends.
4. After thinking about the qualities you and your friends/those you love bring to a relationship, if the qualities you listed are missing, this would be a good opportunity to start conversations relating to ways you and they can improve your relationships.

Quotes:

• “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
• “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Dr. Loretta Scott
• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” – The Golden Rule
• “Good relationships are built on the solid foundations of respect, trust, honesty and support.” - Anonymous

MARCH

Commitment/perseverance (it’s FCAT time! We all need to commit to do our best and persevere in the challenge.)

Commitment can be defined as, “to place in trust or charge, consign; entrust …or to pledge oneself to a position on some issue”.

Perseverance is defined as, “to persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement”.

Challenge of the month:

Evaluate your behaviors

1. Do you keep your commitments?
2. Do you put forth the extra effort necessary to go from mediocre to excellent?
3. Do you keep on trying when things get hard or do you give up?
4. For your own awareness, list instances in which you kept your commitments and worked past the difficulties.
5. For your own awareness, list instances in which you did not keep your commitments or times when you gave up when the going got tough.
6. If you find areas that need improvement, what can you do differently in the future to make the necessary changes?

Quotes:

• “Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” Sam Ewig
• “Nothing worth gaining was ever gained without effort.” – Theodore Roosevelt
• “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
• “I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated.” – Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
• “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller (1880-1968) Helen was blind and deaf.

APRIL

Honesty

To be honest is, “not lying, cheating, stealing or taking unfair advantage; honorable, truthful, trustworthy; having or manifested integrity or truth; genuine; sincere”

Challenge of the month:

Quotes

• “Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived/” Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
• “Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions, but those who kindly reprove thy faults.” – Socrates
• “When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are.” – Ceasar Chavez
• “Better to fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” – Sophocles
• “If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” Marcus Aurelius

MAY

Respect (those graduating have earned the respect of their families and peers for a job well done)

Some of the definitions for respect are: “to feel or show esteem for; to honor; to show consideration for; willingness to show consideration or appreciation”

Challenge of the month:

Quotes:

• “Each of us is meant to have a character all our own, to be what no other can exactly be, and do what no other can exactly do.” William Ellery Channing
• “We have become not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” – Jimmy Carter
• “In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet.” – John F. Kennedy
• “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Rev. Martin Luther King
• “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” – Mahatma Gandhi