Foxfire Schools



Foxfire Core Value - AprilCharacterDefined as: The aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. Moral or ethical quality.Character is the value that is defined by what we do, not what we say or believe. Character is having the ability to work with all kinds of people. We must make a great effort to help our kids develop good character which is necessary for moral decision making and conduct. Many of our kids do not have good character, not do they know what character looks like. There is no great formula other than we must build ourselves fundamentally and display positive, healthy character traits. Character must be honest and moral in EVERY aspect. Character requires doing the right thing even when it is costly or risky. Character makes us all better. Character is much different than your reputation. Character is what you really are; reputation is what you are perceived to be. “Reputation is what people say about you, character is what God knows about you.” – Bobby BowdenWays that we will display CHARACTER at FoxfireWe will understand the Core Values & we will not be willing to sacrifice them. We will set forth our convictions of our core values.We will be brutally honest; we will not lie and manipulate people.We will seek to do the right things in all that we do.We will ensure that our students are learning daily life lessons that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.We will teach our students to be moral and ethical people through example.We will seek to find good in all people.We will ALWAYS remember that our integrity is number one.We realize that everything that we do makes an impression on people.7 Keys for Implementing CHARACTER at FoxfireBelieve It and Model It: Breathe life into the James Baldwin quote: “The children are ours. Every single one of them… children have never been very good at listening to their elders but have never failed to imitate them.”Name It: Give the intangible and often-unnamed a name. Only by labeling and talking about the character strengths that Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson identified can we embark on the journey to develop them.Find It: Introduce kids to real-world and fictional examples that display the various character strengths.Feel It: Help kids and adults feel the positive effects of focusing on, and developing, their own character strengths.Integrate It: Create dual-purpose experiences and lessons that involve the character strengths. Learn more about how character is integrated into the KIPP Framework for Excellent Teaching.Encourage It: Provide people with growth mindset praise (i.e. precise, descriptive praise) around character.Track It: Record and discuss progress toward character goals regularly.Infusing Lessons with Character:Examples of how we talk about character in our classrooms:"We've recently been building our stamina during independent reading. Good stamina requires lots of self-control, because you have to ignore distractions, and have lots of grit, because it isn't easy to read without stopping for 20 minutes. So today, we're actually going to be practicing both grit and self-control as we develop our reading skills.""We've been discussing some of the attitudes and choices made by leaders during the Vietnam War. Why would hope and optimism be important qualities a leader? What would the risks of too much optimism be for these leaders?""Today we're going to learn about the scientific method. Scientists are fueled by curiosity. They design experiments in order to explore new things and investigate questions about the way the world works. Today, your curiosity will be key to designing a successful experiment."Examples of how we incorporate character in classroom activities:Each kindergarten student brings in five artifacts for their 'Me Museum.' Their classmates are asked to show their eagerness to learn new things (curiosity) by asking questions about the curator.During the presidential election, 7th and 8th graders are asked to collect examples of how the various candidates have remained calm (or not calm) even when criticized or otherwise provoked (self-control).Co-curriculars provide a great opportunity to develop creative dual-purpose lessons because activities like music, art, and sports require a lot of zest, grit, and self-control. Across all of our grade levels, we explicitly connect zest, grit, and self-control to learning an instrument. Another fun example is when a kindergarten teacher explains how you need enthusiasm and energy (zest) and to try hard even after experiencing failure (grit) when learning how to hula-hoop.Classroom Resources – CHARACTER Quotes“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” - Martin Luther King Jr.“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” - Abraham Lincoln“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” - Helen Keller“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.” - Walter Anderson“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” - Abraham Lincoln“Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.” - Albert Einstein“Character is power.” - Booker T. Washington“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” - Eleanor Roosevelt“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” - Zig Ziglar8 external factors we will consistently examine @ FoxfireThe students we serveCompetitors – other community schools & similar districts including programs such as CBITechnological changesChanging State & Governmental regulations – especially state standardsEconomic conditions & cyclesLocal companies, suppliers, & boostersStakeholders – Superintendents, School Board, lawyers, parents, unions, influential community munity – socio-economic, diversity, & factors that go into creating community ................
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