Get Caught Doing Something Good

Published 10:15 am Friday, August 19, 2016

Opinion - St. Clair News-Aegis

The beginning of a new school year is when parents, teachers and students alike carry their bundles of excitement and nerves along with their newly bought school supplies. Gleaming backpacks, unfamiliar with the burden of school books, are proudly placed on backs as the kids march through the school doors, while anxious parents wonder how their child’s day will be. It can be a time of anticipation and trepidation, especially if you have children just starting kindergarten, or transitioning from one school to another. It can be a big adjustment for parents and children starting the new routine of early mornings, long school days, afternoon snacks and homework.

Along with all of the reading, writing and arithmetic children will be learning this year, there are some additions to the curriculum. Walking my very excited kindergartner to class the first week of school, I heard the morning announcements over the intercom. Among these was a word, “obedience” along with an age-appropriate definition and examples like stopping at a red light. This was part of the Core Essential Values Program being implemented throughout the Pell City School System. The Core Essential Values Program is a “character education curriculum based on a monthly value that teaches kids, family and staff how to treat others right, make smart decisions and maximize potential.” Each month the school teachers, counselor and staff will focus on a different word, which is also represented by a different color and animal each month, reinforcing the values presented in as many formats as possible. The curriculum focuses on the same word for preschool through high school, but they are implemented uniquely for each level. The community can even be involved, sponsoring rewards for students exemplifying the values presented, or displaying the “Word of the Month” in shop windows and signs to help reinforce the word and values outside of school, which is an important goal of the program.

Kim Williams, Curriculum Coordinator for the Pell City School System, stated, “Our purpose for implementing this curriculum is to help students have a better understanding of values and how those values can be lived out at school, at home and in the community. Our hope is that by focusing on these values, our students will exemplify behaviors and attitudes that will help them be successful regardless of their age. We have heard from our business and industry leaders about how important it is for students to have essential skills (being to work on time, being respectful, knowing how to be part of a team), and we believe that an emphasis each month on a different value will help students be successful not only while they are in school but also once they enter the workplace.”

“We want to reinforce positive behavior,” Peter Boyle, the new counselor at Walter M. Kennedy Elementary School said. “This is a team effort. If every player on the team, the parents, teachers and community, does their best, we can have a more successful outcome for the children in the community.” Boyle will be collaborating with teachers and utilizing multimedia, music, morning announcements and presenting the values to students in as many different formats as possible. He will also offer rewards to students exemplifying the values of the month and focusing on character building.

Being able to solidify the values being taught in the classroom by also presenting them in a public forum creates a cohesive learning environment for children. They can see the real-world application of those values, which will benefit them in the future. To learn more about the Core Essential Values Program, to become a sponsor or be more involved, you may contact Kim Williams at (205) 884-4440 or visit coreessentials.org.