Smart & Good High Schools - The Flippen Group

1.2.3.4.RULES FOR DOING OUR BEST WORKCHAPTER 5: Fostering the 8 Strengths of Character—Outcome 5realization of their goals, reflecting together on fourquestions:1. What helped us to get our work done?2. What prevented us from completing our work?3. What do we need to do differently next week?4. How can we support each other?1.2.3.4.Small groups then post their two sets of nominated rules.The teacher guides the whole group in coming up with atwo-part Compact for Excellence that is a best blend ofthe suggestions of the different groups. Students thencopy these over into a final Compact that all are invited tosign.In one middle school classroom in suburban Chicago, thestudent-generated Compact for Excellence reads as follows:RULES FOR DOING OUR BEST WORK1. Be prepared and work cooperatively.2. Turn in work on time.3. Work hard.RULES FOR TREATING EACH OTHERWITH RESPECT AND CARE4. Have a positive attitude.RULES FOR TREATING OTHERSWITH RESPECT AND CARE1. Listen when the teacher or others are talking.2. Follow the Golden Rule.3. Use good manners.4. Help each other.Weekly goals for this class are set around their Compact.For example, when student work was not being turned inon time, students set goals to reduce the total amount oflate work and then monitored their progress toward theEstablish Rules About LanguageLanguage is an index of civilization. It impacts others. Itcan affirm and inspire, or disturb and denigrate. In a1999 Zogby Poll of New York State teachers, a majoritysaid that students’ use of profane language in school hadbecome a serious behavior problem. Both school staff andstudents who may be troubled by this trend often have apassive attitude: “That’s just the way kids talk these days.”But with this issue, as with any moral problem, theresponsibility of an ethical learning community is to fostermoral agency—the conviction that people, individuallyand collectively, can make a positive difference no matterwhat the challenge.Language is an index of civilization.A collaborative approach to rule-setting is one way toproactively address the language challenge. In his book,Powerful Words, Positive Results 10 , former high school historyteacher Hal Urban says he would get students to thinkabout their use of language by writing questions on theboard (see box). These questions then served as a springboardfor class discussion.Urban says:QUESTIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE1. Would you think differently of me if I constantlyused swear words?2. Why are some persons offended by swear words?3. Are people who use foul language in public politeor rude?4. What do you reveal about yourself when youswear a lot?What really helped them were their own answers to the lastquestion, “What do you reveal about yourself when youswear a lot?” People who swear a lot, they realize, may151Smart & Good High Schools