October Character Trait – Responsibility
October 1, 2008
The character trait for this month is RESPONSIBILITY. We all have our own definition of what that means to us. “Building Good Citizens for Texas” defines responsibility as “moral, legal and mental accountability for choices, regardless of pressures to do otherwise”. When working with very young students, it is suggested that we simply say “Responsibility means doing what I’m supposed to do.”
Bill Maher of television fame said recently “We have the Bill of Rights. What we need is a Bill of Responsibilities.” This is a good reminder that with any right or privilege comes responsibility. A responsibility to accept the privilege properly, to execute that right courteously without bias, and to help others gain their due rights and privileges.
As educators, we have a marvelous opportunity to teach our students the true meaning of responsibility. We are actually doing this whenever we observe our classroom rules, when we require the best from each of our students, when we expect and encourage high standards in students’ work, and when we work as a positive team with all staff.
Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby) stated, “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” Each one of us can determine just how much responsibility should be given to our students. Of course, age is the primary determiner, but perhaps we should ask ourselves, are we expecting the “best” of each of our students? Are we giving our best by encouraging, praising, yes even pushing each student to perform at their highest possible level? What greater responsibility could an educator have than to insist on the best from each and every student? And what greater reward can we have than to see the successes of our students!
Teacher’s Action Plan:
· Are you expecting every student to exhibit responsibility?
· Do you have a system that ensures you will give each student the opportunity to increase their responsibilities in your classroom during the school year?
· Are you setting the example by being responsible in your work with the students and other staff members?
For more information on the Character Traits that Building Good Citizens for Texas focuses on during the school year, visit our Monthly Character Traits page.