2

The Golden Rule sounds so simple, doesn’t it? “Do

unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

You would think it would be easy to be nice to other

people all the time, just as you want them to be nice

to you. It would be a great world if we were all people

of good character. Good character means understand-

ing, caring about, and acting with good values.

But think about it, do other people treat you the way

you want them to? Are people nice to you all the time?

Are they acting with good character? Are you? Why

not? Maybe it’s because people have forgotten how to

be nice. Maybe it’s because people don’t think it’s

important to be a good person. In school you learn

that it’s important to study hard and do well. It’s impor-

tant to try to be good at whatever you do – sports,

plays, choir, and competitions of all kinds.

But do we also learn that it’s important to be good at

being a person? Do your classes in school teach you

about how to be someone who cares about other peo-

ple? Should your school’s job be to give you knowl-

edge, or should school also show you how to use that

knowledge in a caring way?

Schools give lots of awards to kids who get great grades

and to those who are terrific athletes. But what about

the kids who have really good character? What about

kids who may or may not get great grades but who are

really nice people? Your character – the part of you that

shows what kind of person you are – counts. It may not

win you awards, but if you have good character you will

probably be a much happier person.

People of good character understand that you should

be a good person, not because of what it will get for

you, but because it is the right thing to do. Your good-

ness is its own reward. Your character determines how

you see and treat yourself and others.

It’s All About You!

The best part about working on your character is that you have the power to be

the kind of person you want to be. All the choices are yours to make, and no one

can take this power from you. It’s not like some other parts of your life that you

don’t have control over. YOUR CHARACTER COUNTS … AND IT’S ALL UP TO YOU.

It’s not easy to be a person of good character. It takes thought and, sometimes,

courage to do what is right. But if you take the time to learn about character

and if you care about who you are, who you really are, well, inside, you will get

the amazing reward of knowing that you are the best person you can be. The

time will be worth it as you learn that your character counts – and counts more

than anything else about you.

This special newspaper supplement will help you think about your character.

We’ll look at some of the qualities that make people who they are. Those qual-

ities are compassion, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, justice, and citizen-

ship. We’ll explain how you can choose to make each one a part of your every-

day life as you learn to treat other people the way you want them to treat you.

As you read the material and think about what it says, you will also want to talk

about your thoughts. You will want to have lots of discussions about the issues

and what they mean. As you and your classmates talk, be sure to listen respect-

fully to what is said so that everyone feels comfortable giving opinions. Good lis-

tening is an important part of building a caring community.

Getting to Know Your Character

Who are you? What are you really like? How do you feel today? How do you

feel about yourself today? The answers to those questions may not be easy, but

they are important. How you feel about yourself makes a big difference in how

successful and happy you are going to be.

How you think about yourself is sometimes called “self-esteem.” People with

high self-esteem are more confident, more willing to try new things, make new

friends, and be creative. They are happy, comfortable people who do better in

school and in life than people who don’t feel good about themselves. The key

to liking yourself is in knowing who you are, what you do well, and how you

think. If you are the kind of person you would want as a best friend, you prob-

ably have high self-esteem. But in order to like yourself, you have to take some

time to get to know who you really are.

The Golden Rule

who are you?Are You More Like This…..Or More Like That?

How you make choices and the reasons for your choices can teach you a lot

about yourself. In this activity, you will choose between two phrases. Before

you can make each choice, you’ll have to examine your values and your feel-

ings. You will have to decide what’s important to you, and that’s a good way

to learn who you really are. Circle the characteristic in each pair that most

closely describes you.

Are You More:

✘ A money spender

A money saver

✘ A straw house

A stone house

✘ A person who likes to be alone

A person who loves to be in a group

✘ A breakfast muffin

A steak dinner

✘ Brainy

Physical

✘ City

Farmland

✘ A fighter

An agree-er

✘ A heavy-metal band

A quiet singer

✘ A snail

A rabbit

✘ An ocean

A creek

✘ A volcano

A grassy hill

✘ A hot-air balloon

A jet

Character in The

NewspaperSkill: describing characteristics

in the visual arts

Choosing what to watch on TV

is something we all do. What you

choose tells something about you.

Pick three shows you would watch from today’s list-

ings. Write a sentence telling what each choice

says about you.

who are you?

3

Choices Aren’t Always Either/Or

On page 3, you chose between two things. In real

life, though, choosing isn’t always as simple as pick-

ing one of two things. Many times your feelings will

fall somewhere between two extreme choices.

Instead of a clear choice, which people sometimes

describe as a choice of “black or white,” sometimes

there are “shades of gray.” In this activity, you’ll be

exploring some “shades of gray.”

Here are 10 questions about your attitudes, feelings,

and habits. The examples below show opposite posi-

tions. As you read each question, think about how

you feel on the issue. Give your feelings a rating from

1to 5. If you cannot choose one of the extremes, if

your feelings fall somewhere in the middle, that’s

okay. Write a check mark to show where you fit in.

When you are done, look for patterns in the way you

feel about things. Compare your answers to those of

your classmates.

After you have made and discussed your choices,

think about the qualities of character that are

involved in the two extremes. Which extreme shows

more honesty, more respect, etc?

Character in The NewspaperSkills: writing essays, identifying significant characteristics of an effective citizen

1. Find an issue in today’s paper that you feel strong-

ly about. Write an essay giving your

opinion about it and why you feel

that way. Read the essays aloud in

class. Are there people who agree

with you? Are there people

who disagree?

2. Find a comic strip character

that is most like you? List all the traits you have in

common with your choice.

1. What are you willing to do in order to be popular?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – Do anything including risking my safety.5 – Do nothing at all.

2. Do you need a lot of friends?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – No, I just need one friend – me. 5 – I want everyone to be my friend.

3. Do you run from a fight?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – I take off at the first sign of a problem.5 – I’ll fight if you look at me the wrong way.

4. Is talking to others important to you?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – My lips are zipped5 – It’s impossible to shut me up.

5. Is neatness in your clothes important to you?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – Messy is me.5 – I’d iron my underwear.

6. Is it hard for you to make decisions?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – I can’t make choices ever.5 – I choose in a flash.

7. As a parent I would...

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – Have no rules.5 – Be super-strict.

8. What do you eat?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – I’m picky, picky, picky.5 – If it’s not nailed down, I’ll eat it.

9. How important is your family?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – They mean everything to me.5 – I’d rather be rid of them.

10. What is your opinion of competition?

______ ______ ______ ______ ______1 2 3 4 5

1 – I hate winning and losing.5 – I’d step on my grandmother to win.

Choose to be...YOU!

4

It may be interesting to talk with your parents about

the differences they see in manners in schools today

compared to what it was like when they were in

school. Ask them to tell you how students spoke to

teachers when they were in school. Compare what

they tell you to the way students and teachers com-

municate today.

Some people think that good manners are not so impor-

tant. What do you think? Do you think that starting

with something small, like having good manners, leads

to being a more respectful person? Respect means that

you honor yourself and others. It means that you cele-

brate the differences between people instead of putting

them down. Can good manners help you to be a

respectful person? If you have bad manners, are you

showing disrespect to the people around you?

Character in TheNewspaperSkills: identifying rules and eti-quette, applying techniques of

interpersonal communication

1. Look through the newspaper

to see how display ads are

designed. Then design a display ad

to encourage people to follow the

Golden Rule. You may want to write your own ver-

sion of the Golden Rule with words you think kids

would understand. Think about what makes an ad

effective or eye-catching before beginning.

2. Using harsh language, or cursing, is one way

people show poor manners. Where do you think kids

learn this kind of expression? Look through today’s

newspaper for examples of rude language. Rewrite

them so that they are not so rude. Check the comic

strips, too. Can you find examples of good and bad

manners in the comics?

Respect Yourself

If you really want to be a person who shows that you care about others, you

could start with something small. You could start by showing that you have

good manners, or that you are civil. While you are growing up, you hear a lot

about manners, or civility, from your parents. There are so many rules, “Say

please and thank you,” “Don’t interrupt,” “Chew with your mouth closed,”

and so many more. But, really, manners are much simpler than that. In fact,

they can be summed up in one word – respect. If you are well-mannered, you

show respect for yourself and others.

About 78% of Americans, according to a recent study, think that rudeness is a

serious problem. That means that about 8 of every 10 people believe that

manners matter and that rudeness hurts all of us. They believe that the lack of

manners means that people do not respect themselves or others and that lack

of respect leads to more crime.

Politeness Poll

Take a poll of at least 50 kids in your school. On a separate sheet of paper, get

their answers to the following questions and create a graph of the results.

1. Are the kids in this school polite to each other?

Yes No

2. Are kids getting more rude than they used to be?

Yes No

3. Are teachers polite to kids?

Yes No

4. Are teachers polite to each other?

Yes No

5. Are kids polite to teachers?

Yes No

Civility & Respect

5

6

How Much Do You Care?

A really important part of your character is revealed

by whether you care about people. Are you kind or

hurtful in your dealings with others? Kindness can be

about doing nice things for others. It can be seen in

simple acts like helping someone with homework or

even just smiling at people in the halls.

Sometimes, though, kindness isn’t even about any

specific action. It could be expressed through your

attitude or emotions. The qualities on this page can

all result in kindness and caring becoming part of

your everyday life. There are 12. Rank them in order

of importance to you and write one sentence show-

ing where you ranked each one and why.

____Anger Control

_______________________

____Caring/Compassion

_______________________

____Cooperation/Teamwork

_______________________

____Fairness

_______________________

____Giving Compliments

_______________________

____Honesty

_______________________

____Offering Encouragement

_______________________

____Loyalty

_______________________

____Politeness/Good Manners

_______________________

____Respect for Others

_______________________

____Sharing

_______________________

____Community Service

_______________________

Caring & Kindness

A Caring World, A Better Place

When someone drops a platter in your school lunchroom, does everybody

laugh? If that person is splattered with spaghetti sauce, are the laughs even

louder? What if the person slips and falls while dropping the food? Is that a

laugh riot, or what? If the elderly man next door has a hard time walking

down the steps to get his newspaper, would you put it near his door on your

way to school? When a local shelter collects toys for poor children, do you

want to give some of your favorites?

Compassion or caring about others comes naturally to some people. Such people

do kind things without even thinking about it. Some people have to think about

it, but eventually they make good choices. Either way, a world in which people

care about others and act accordingly is a much nicer world in which to live.

Think about the three examples above. In the lunchroom, when people laugh,

does that hurt the person who dropped the platter? Why or why not? If you

knew the laughter was hurtful, would you think twice about laughing? If every-

one around you laughed would that matter to you? Discuss this situation, imag-

ining how it would feel to be the person splattered with sauce. And who else is

teased in your school? Are there kids who are different, or weird, or who people

make fun of? Have you ever thought about what it feels like to be one of those

kids? Maybe you should. In each of the three examples, what would it take to

get you to do the right thing? And, for each one, what is the right thing?

Compassion and caring can make the place you go to school, live, or work,

better. When you choose to be a caring person, you make a difference wherever

you are. Caring has what is called a ripple effect. You know when you throw a

pebble into a pond, ripples, or tiny waves, come out from around the pebble

and reach farther and farther out. Caring works the same way. It starts with you

in the center of the action. When you show you care about others, your caring

spreads out from you, farther and farther, getting others to act in the same way.

Compassion can make us appreciate the things we have and can reward us

with respect from others. A 10-year-old boy from Pennsylvania found $100 in

a shopping mall. His family was poor and certainly could have used the money,

but he turned it over to the police instead. He said his own family situation

made him think about what that money might mean to another family. He

had enough compassion for the person who lost the money to put his own

needs aside. No one claimed the money, so, a few months later, the police

gave it to the boy with an award for honesty and compassion!

Compassionate Candidates

When politicians run for office, they talk a great deal

about how much they care – about people, about the

environment, and about the future. But if you exam-

ine how they run their campaigns you might have a

hard time believing that they care. Political campaigns

are not known for being run compassionately.

Some politicians try to get your vote by telling you

nasty things about their opponent. They think that

in order to get you to vote for them it’s not good

enough just to tell you what’s good about themselves,

so they tell you what they think is bad about the other

person. This is known as negative campaigning

because they tell you all the negative, or not so good,

aspects about the person they are running against.

And they spend millions of dollars to do this.

Candidates spend a fortune on advertising to let

people know what they think. During an election year,

you’ll see lots of ads in the newspaper, on TV, on bill-

boards, and in magazines. Most Americans – 73% –

say that they don’t like these nasty campaigns. They say

that they believe that these nasty battles are actually

part of why Americans have become so mean to each

other – because we’ve learned from the ad campaigns

how to behave. What do you think?

Character in the Newspaper

Skills: writing expository texts, identifying criteria useful in selecting political leaders

1. Find a compassionate act in the

comics and write a news story

about what you found.

2. Can you find a story about

a politician in today’s newspaper? Is

he or she behaving in a compassionate manner? Would

you vote for that candidate based on that story? Why?

Compassion

7

Sometimes it’s easier to learn about our own char-

acter by talking about the character of others.

Those others might be real people, but they even

could be people we read about in stories. Fairy

tales and stories can teach us lessons about char-

acter by showing us both good and evil. And the

stories often have serious moral issues – issues

about right and wrong – to explore. We see our-

selves and our society while we read. It’s fun to

examine what some of these characters are really

like. By understanding the characters in stories and

how they act, we learn more about ourselves. We

can think and talk about how we would handle

some of the same moral issues that arose in the

story – and to compare what we would have done

to what the people in the story did.

Or we can really check out the issues by role-play-

ing a trial of one of the characters. In a trial, we

look at many sides of an issue and decide what is

right and what is wrong. It’s a great exercise in fig-

uring out where you stand on some interesting

character issues. You can have a mock trial using

the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. A mock trial is

a terrific opportunity for you to work cooperative-

ly with all the kids in your class. While you are

working, notice how the kids in the groups are

getting along. Part of this activity is about how

well you can work together as a group.

Concentrate on working well together while you

are having fun and getting the job done.

Here is a summary of the story:

Jack was a boy who lived with his mother. They

were very poor and when they had almost nothing

left, Jack’s mother sent him to town to sell their

cow. On the way, Jack met a stranger who gave

Jack some magic beans in exchange for the cow.

When Jack got home and told his mother what

happened she was mad and threw the beans out

the window. The next day, a huge beanstalk was

growing there. Jack climbed up and found himself

outside a castle. An old woman standing there told

Jack to be careful because an evil giant lived inside with lots of treasures

that he had stolen. Jack got inside the castle and watched the giant play

with his treasures. Then Jack waited until the giant wasn’t looking, stole

some of the treasures, and took them home to his mother. Jack went back

up to the castle each day, and each day he took more of the treasures

home. One day, the giant caught Jack stealing and chased after him,

threatening to kill him. Jack scampered down the beanstalk and, upon

reaching the bottom, chopped the beanstalk down while the giant was on

it. The giant fell, broke his neck, and died.

Imagine that you live in Jack’s town. You have read in the newspaper

Mock Trial

8

that Jack has been arrested for murdering the giant. Your classroom is

the courtroom, and you and your classmates will act out the trial. You

will need to assign everyone a part. The parts are:

• Jack

• Jack’s mother

• The stranger with the beans

• The old woman outside the castle

• The giant

• The people in the town whose belongings

the giant had stolen

• The judge

• The jury

• Jack’s lawyers

• The prosecutors

• The man who gave Jack the beans

The question is whether Jack is guilty of murder. Here are some issues to

consider:

✘ Jack took the law into his own hands when he stole items that

the giant had stolen.

✘ The giant may have been a bad guy, but did he deserve to die?

✘ Was it Jack’s responsibility to punish the giant for his wrongdo-

ing?

✘ Should the giant have been considered innocent until he was

proved guilty of stealing?

✘ Did Jack have a right to be in the giant’s home?

✘ Is it okay to steal from a thief?

✘ What was Jack’s mother’s responsibility in this story?

✘ Was justice served?

What other issues should be considered? Write some of your ideas on

these lines.

Each person or group should meet and talk about

what they will say during the trial. Lawyers for

each side should meet the witnesses they are

going to call to find out what they will say. Lawyers

will need to write lists of questions they will ask,

and witnesses will have to plan outlines of what

they will say.

Each side should have the opportunity to make an

opening statement to the jury, to question wit-

nesses, and to make a closing statement to the

jury. Then allow the jury to reach a verdict, and, if

necessary, to decide a sentence.

It may be fun to talk about some other fairy tales

you know and to discuss some of the moral issues

that those stories bring up. Try to look at some of

the familiar stories from a new point of view. For

example, did Goldilocks commit a crime by going

into the home of the three bears? Did Hansel and

Gretel really torture the older woman and cause

her to take revenge on them? Did Cinderella

resent her stepmother even though she was trying

hard to be a good mother?

Character in the NewspaperSkill: understanding how the rule of law

impacts on decisions

Find a story about a trial in today’s news-

paper. Write a summary of the story. What

was the outcome? Was justice served? Can

you think of a news story about a trial in which

the outcome was not fair and just? Talk about

this with your class.

Is Jack guilty of murder?

9

Does TV Make You Violent?By the time a child is a

teenager, he or she may

see 10,000 acts of vio-

lence on television. Do

you think watching so

much violence could

lead you to accept vio-

lence as part of your

life? If you spend so much

time watching people solve their problems violent-

ly, would that make you believe that violence is a

good way to deal with conflict?

Some experts believe that video games and TV are

causing kids to have a “toxic addiction” to vio-

lence and that because of that, kids are commit-

ting more and more violent acts. These experts say

that some kids have learned to connect violence

with entertainment after spending so many hours

watching

violent movies

and playing

violent video

games.

So just how do

we stop the

violence? Some

people think

that violent shows and games should come with

warning labels about the level of violence so that

parents and kids can choose carefully how they

spend their time. Other people believe that we stop

violence by teaching kids how to solve problems

peacefully. The fact is, using violence to solve a

problem is not smart. It takes no brain power. It’s

an emotional act, often done without thinking.

And it can kill. Many kids across the country have

died in violent acts in schools. There are many guns

available in kids’ homes and some kids use them

when they feel desperate. There are enough guns available in this country

– 250 million - to arm almost every American. In recent years, an average

of 16 kids have died every day in gun-related violence. Is there a gun in

your house? Do you think there should be a gun in your house? Discuss

the availability of guns with your classmates.

You Can Change The World

As long as there are people on the planet, there will be problems

between people. We can’t stop that, but we can stop the vio-

lence that often results from problems. You

have choices. You have power. You

can choose to solve your problems

with your hands or with your

head. You can learn to fight

with fairness, instead of with

fists.

How did you solve the last

problem you had with some-

one? If you hit that person,

maybe it’s because you couldn’t

think of anything else to do. By learning

to solve your problems peacefully, you can

contribute to a more peaceful future for the

world. You are only one person, but you can make a difference.

Tell Them How You Feel

When you have a problem with someone, a good start is to talk to him

or her and listen to what he or she says. Listening to people is one of

the best ways to show respect. When you show people respect, they are

more likely to treat you with respect in return. So, listen and really find

out what the problem is. Then, attack the problem, not the person.

Check the way you talk to the person you are dealing with. Concentrate

on telling the person how you feel and what you think, rather than

Good Character=

10

attacking the other person.

Here’s an example of a good way of talking so that you attack a problem

and not a person:

“I feel incredibly stupid when you laugh at

my answers in math class because it

embarrasses me. I want you to stop doing this.”

The important thing is that you handle the problem directly with the per-

son. Tell the person what he or she is doing, why it bothers you, how it

makes you feel and what you want or need them to do to solve the

problem. Try not to talk to other people about the problem. That would

be talking behind someone’s back, which can blow up a conflict and

add to the bad feeling.

Most of all, listen to what is said to you and react honestly. This is not as

easy as it sounds, especially if you are angry or frustrated.

Fairness and Fighting

Suppose that even if you have been a good listener, a conflict still comes

up. Rules can help, even in a fight. (The kind of fight here is a disagree-

ment, not a physical fight which we will discuss later.) Here are some

rules for fighting fair. These could be especially helpful for fights that you

might have at home with a brother or sister.

DoIdentify the problem.

Attack the problem, not the person.

Listen.

Respect the other person’s feelings.

Be responsible for your own actions.

Don’tGet even.

Bring up past fights.

Push or hit.

Call someone names.

Blame.

Good ConflictResolution Skills

11

12

Conflict Styles

Here is a list showing five styles of handling conflict.

____Avoidignore the person or problem.

____Cooperatework together so everyone wins.

____Give inlet others have what they want.

____Competework to get what you want

even if the other person loses.

____Compromiseeach person gives up something

to reach a solution.

Which style to you use most often? Rank them from

1 to 5 in order of usefulness for you. Compare

the results in the class. Graph the answers.

Finally, what should you do when you see people fighting – actually hitting

each other? First, don’t get involved yourself but do get a teacher or an adult

to break up the fight.

Then, as a group, and without taking sides, ask these questions of the kids

involved:

What is the fight about? Are your showing respect for each other’s bodies?

Would you want to see your little brother or sister acting this way? This kind

of action to help others during a fight is called “Peer Mediation.” That means

that you are helping others in your group, your peers, to find ways to work

out their differences. When you see a conflict brewing between two people, if

you can step in and mediate, or help them to work it out before they get vio-

lent, you can make a difference and stop violence before it starts.

Character in the NewspaperSkill: evaluating situations involving conflicts.

There are many conflicts in the comics and often they

are funny. But conflict is not funny when it leads to

violence. Find a conflict in today’s comic strips.

Write a description of the conflict and then

three ways the problem could be solved.

Which way would you choose?

Coping with ConflictBetter ways to solve problems

Honesty Respect Resp

Honesty Respect Responsibility

Self-discipline Comy Respect Respon

Honesty Respect RespoHonesty Respect Responsibility Self-discipline Compassion Perse

There are some basic human virtues, or qualities, that each of us can

agree to make part of our lives in order to be part of caring communi-

ties of good character with fewer conflicts. Here are some basic virtues

and how you can show each one in school, at home, and in your com-

munity:

✓ HonestyEach person carries out his/her responsibilities carefully, with pride and

integrity, never taking credit for anyone else’s work and taking blame

when necessary. Each person agrees to show truthfulness at all times.

✓ RespectEach person reacts to other peoples’ ideas and needs without making

fun or hurting the other person. Differences among people are cele-

brated. People are able to accept both praise and criticism without fear.

✓ ResponsibilityEach person has a duty to do the tasks that he or she has been

assigned. All work is done with pride and people are accountable for

their behavior. (That means that you are in charge of your own actions

and work.)

✓ Self-disciplineEach person agrees to live within limits, following

the rules.

✓ CompassionEach person is considerate and caring, recognizing the hurts of others

and reaching out to people in need.

✓ PerseveranceEach person uses his or her inner strength to set goals and to work to

achieve those goals.

✓ SharingEach person looks for opportunities to give to others, knowing that giving

to others is one of life’s greatest joys.

How many of these virtues do you see in yourself?

Which would you like to see? How might your life be

different if you could make each of these virtues a part

of your life? Write your answers on these lines.

Character in the Newspaper

Skill: discussing personal ethics

Throughout the history of America, we’ve

had heroes who have shown us these

virtues in action. Thomas Edison perse-

vered while he worked on his inven-

tions. Frederick Douglass showed us

responsibility as he took it upon himself to

fight tirelessly for equality and freedom. Florence

Nightingale acted compassionately when she took

care of sick people. Rosa Parks showed us the mean-

ing of respect when she refused to obey a disrespect-

ful law. We can learn truthfulness from Chief Cochise

who said, “Speak straight so that your words may go

as sunlight into our hearts.” Can you find a person

showing each of these virtues in today’s newspaper?

Make up an award for each virtue and find someone

in the news who deserves each award. Discuss your

choices with your class. Which are your best virtues?

Virtues

13

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Honesty

Of course you’ve heard that honesty is the best

policy, but you may have also heard the expres-

sion, “The truth hurts.” Being honest is important,

and maybe that’s why it’s not so easy. Most kids

admit that they have lied and cheated at some

time. And nearly half admit that they have stolen

something, according to recent polls. But, even as

they say this, almost all agree that it’s important to

be a person with “good character.”

If it’s so important, why are so many kids lying

and cheating? Many kids believe that you are a

good person if you don’t hurt other people. They

see crimes like cheating in school and shoplifting

as “victimless,” meaning that these actions don’t

really hurt anybody. What do you think? Who gets

hurt if you have the answers to the science test

inside the lid of your calculator? Is this a crime

that doesn’t hurt anyone, or does someone pay a

price? And how do you decide whether or not to

cheat?

Experts agree that parents usually are the ones to

teach kids about values like honesty. Do you

agree? What determines how you make your

choices about right and wrong? Do you think your

parents would approve of the choices you’ve

made? What about your friends? Do they trust

you? Can you trust them? If you cheat on a test,

does that mean you are the kind of person who

will lie to your friends?

Can you be mostly honest? Are there times when

not being truthful is okay? Is it ever okay to steal?

Think about this situation. Imagine that you are

the parents of a very sick child. You go to the

drugstore to buy the medicine your child needs,

but it costs $98 and you have only $20. The phar-

Truth, Justice & the American Way

macist walks away and leaves you standing there with the medicine in

front of you. Would you take it without paying and run away? Talk

about this with your class.

Laws Guide Us To Goodness and Fairness

Laws are rules that are made by our society’s leaders to give us guide-

lines about how to behave. In a way, laws show us how to be people

of good character. Our laws protect us from people who might want

to cause us harm. They ensure fair treatment for all citizens. Our coun-

try’s early leaders first created our laws when they wrote the U.S.

Constitution. That document limits the power of the government and

gives people many freedoms and rights. It grants equality to everyone. It

keeps us from discriminating or treating people differently because of

their race, religion, or any other differences. The Constitution is really a

document that tells us to respect ourselves and others by making fair-

ness part of our law. Understanding laws, rights, and responsibilities

helps us to decide what kind of people we want to be. We have certain

freedoms, but how we use them is up to us. While our laws guarantee

our rights, each of us is free to use them responsibly or not. The laws

give us an outline of what it takes to be a good citizen, but how we

react to those laws is up to each of us. You might think that good

citizens are people of good character who obey all the laws, but it’s

not as simple as that.

It’s not always easy to know the right way to interpret a law. Many of

our laws are controversial, and not everybody agrees about them. For

example, our Constitution guarantees us the “right to bear arms” (that

is, the right to own guns). Some people believe that law was set up for

another time, to allow people to protect themselves against warring

countries, not to allow people to keep and use guns in their homes.

Others think we should all have the right to own guns. What do you

think?

We have the freedom of speech – to say what we think. But that free-

dom does not include the right to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater just

because we may want to. Our freedom is controlled by the need to pro-

tect people, and yelling “Fire” might hurt people by unnecessarily caus-

ing a panic. We even have laws against publicly saying untrue things

about people. These are called libel laws.

Act Responsibly

15

Basically, you need to let “your conscience be your guide” when it

comes to deciding the right way to act. If you do make a mistake and

break a law or rule it’s important to take responsibility for your actions.

Everyone makes mistakes, even people of good character. Part of good

character is knowing how to own up to your mistakes. Admit that you

did something wrong and accept your punishment or the consequences

of your act. Don’t blame others for things that you have done wrong. If

you take the responsibility for your actions, you’ll learn from the experi-

ence and be a better person afterward. And if you are the kind of per-

son who takes responsibility when things go wrong, that means you

also get the credit, or rewards, when things go right.

Finally, if you feel that a rule or law is unfair, there are ways you can act

responsibly to do something about it. You can vote. You can protest.

You can participate in an act of civil disobedience. That is when you pur-

posely disobey a law in a calm manner. (Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to

the back of the bus was an act of civil disobedience.) You can write to

the lawmakers explaining why a law is unfair. If you feel a rule in school

is unfair, talk to your teachers and your parents about it. There are ways

to act besides just breaking the rule or law. Find a creative solution.

Character in the NewspaperSkill: describing conflict management including negotiation, mediation and litigation

Find a story in the newspaper about a law being broken. Think about

other ways the problem could have been solved. Decide

what punishment you would give to the lawbreaker.

Compare your punishment to the one described in the

newspaper. You can use the form on the right to

record your answers.

Story Summary:

What was the law being broken?

How else could the problem have been solved?

What punishment should be given to the law-

breaker?

Written by Debby Carroll

Edited by Ken Bookman

©1999 Hot Topics Publications, Inc.

P.O. Box 183, Wyncote, PA 19095-0183

Design & Production by

Linda Berns & Holli Rathman

Berns and Kay, Ltd.• Bethesda, MD 20817

You can learn about how to have good character at school but, to really understand it, you have to be surrounded by good character

throughout your school and, especially, your home. You have to see examples of good and moral behavior everywhere you look – in the

hallways, in the lunchroom, in the playground, on the school bus, in your own living room and kitchen, just everywhere! You need to do

your part to create a caring community. If you do your part, people around you will do theirs. Remember, it’s a ripple effect, and it all starts

with you.

Here are some things your teachers and parents can do to help. Talk about these lists and add some suggestions of your own. Take the list

home for your families to see and to share ideas. Pledge to work together to surround yourself with an environment of goodness.

Teachers & Parents Can HelpHere are some ideas for teachers and people who work in schools to help students build character:

✓ Use ethical language when talking to colleagues.

✓ Hang pictures of heroes and heroines.

✓ Promote a “Good Character of the Month” each month. Talk about the winner.

✓ Share stories of personal heroes.

✓ Always recognize achievement beyond academics or sports.

✓ Make time to discuss moral issues within the school.

✓ Establish serious consequences for behaviors like peer cruelty, student

cheating, adult disrespect of students, and littering of the grounds.

On these lines write some ideas of your own about how teachers and parents can help.

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FOR PARENTS:

Lead by example. Discuss issues of character all the time. Make your expectations for your children clear. Demonstrate respect

for others –including other religions and cultures. Emphasize the importance of working hard and trying to achieve goals.

Make time to make good character a priority in your lives. Sign this page as your pledge to work together.

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Schools & CommunitiesCommitted to Good Character

Parent Signature

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Student Signature