School program teaches pupils character skills

Pupils learn what it takes to be upstanding citizens.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Ask 5-year-old Desmond Washington what the word respect means to him.
"To keep your hands to yourself," he said.
A classmate says it means to be kind to everyone.
That's just a few examples of how a local Head Start program is helping kids build character.
Washington, of Warren, is part of a classroom run by Joyce Smith and Gwen Haynes at Trumbull Community Action Program's Warren West building on Palmyra Road.
TCAP, a nonprofit organization serving the community with various programs, has instituted character learning into the curriculum to create an environment that helps children develop appropriate social skills and behaviors to work cooperatively with one another.
Organization: Character learning is a nonpartisan initiative to strengthen the character of America's youth, run by the nonprofit Josephson Institute of Ethics in Marina del Rey, Calif.
The organization's six pillars of character are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Each one becomes "the word of the month" at TCAP facilities and is incorporated into lesson plans.
Parents are also updated and asked to reinforce the lessons at home.
Trumbull County: Valerie Wilkins, TCAP's mental health coordinator, said the program is offered at nine TCAP centers in Trumbull County. The agency also collaborates with two local day-care centers using character learning.
"I'm so proud of what we're doing because I think we're very innovative with this," she said.
Kathy Hutton is associate director of TCAP's Head Start program and a coordinator for Even Start, a family literacy program.
She said character learning helps students deal with conflict in a positive way and empowers them to be better people.
Staff members are required to model character learning behaviors as they relay the lessons to kids. The hope is that parents also step up to the challenge so that character-building behaviors spill over into the community.
"All of us need to practice it daily," Hutton said. "It's never too late."
Processing feelings: Safe Place is also a part of character learning. It's an area of the room blocked off to provide pupils with a place to process feelings and difficulties.
It's not a place where children go to play or to be punished, but rather an area for children who are sleepy, upset, overwhelmed or in need of personal attention.
Safe Place is open to all children throughout the day, Wilkins said, explaining they can regroup, talk with an instructor about private matters or just reflect on how they're feeling.
Head Start teacher Karen Hunt uses puppets to emphasize character-learning lessons to her 3-year-old pupils. She said she's seen a noticeable difference in behaviors since the program started.
"They really get the message," she said.
Posters on the walls in Smith's classroom remind pupils what it means to be polite, have respect and play fair.
Schools too often focus only on academics, she said, and "If you don't behave, how can you learn?"
TCAP's Head Start and Even Start programs are taking new pupils. To find out more about the program or character learning, call Wilkins at (330) 392-5885, ext. 278.
davis@vindy.com