Related Words:
Accountable Dependable Trustworthy Reliable
I. HOW STUDENTS CAN DEVELOP PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:
A. Meaning: Responsibility is often regarded as a burden, but we discover that it is actually a great source of personal power. It is the key to taking charge of our lives. Responsible people do what needs to be done, fulfill their obligations and promises in a timely manner and are accountable for their in/actions.
• Knowing the right thing to do and doing it. If you are not sure what to do the responsible thing do is ASK a teacher or parent.
• It means that others can depend on you. You keep your promises, agreements and commitments. This means you are accountable.
• Doing your best.
• Focusing on YOUR part, not on someone else's. This is personal responsibility.
• Admit your mistakes, don't blame others or make excuses.
• Accepting credit when you do the right thing and accepting correction when you make a poor choice.
• Being on time.
• Taking on new and more responsibilities when you're ready!
B. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS & EXAMPLES :
1. PERSONAL:
• Do not make excuses or blame others
• Understanding how responsibilities change as we get older
• Think before you act; choose the answer that feels best inside
• Accepting the consequences of one's choices and actions
• Take care of possessions.
• Don't do drugs, smoke, underage drink or other harmful things.
• Taking good care of yourself-- eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest
2. WITH FAMILY & OTHERS :
• Complete chores without prompting.
• Do what you say you are going to in a timely fashion
• Returning something you have borrowed and returning it in the same condition that you got it
• Showing Courtesy and kindness to everyone
• Appreciating our differences
3. AT SCHOOL:
• Take care of school property and the facility.
• Developing strategies that can help you learn
• Establish a routine and set time to completing home work
• Taking the responsibility to be prepared
• Encourage others to do their best and learn
• Getting help when you don't understand
4. In our ENVIRONMENT :
• Put trash in its' place and Recycle
• Obey rules and laws
• Volunteer to make your community a better place
II. PARENTS TIPS FOR PROMOTING RESPONSIBILITY:
Most parents want their children to become responsible. This characteristic develops over time with continued parental guidance. Children are taught responsibility when they help with necessary normal work and activities in the home. They learn to do things they may have to do even when a parent is not present. As a benefit the child develops a sense of belonging to the family, a sense of being needed, and a positive self-concept and learns to become independent and prepared for adulthood.
Parents benefit from teaching children responsibility through:
• Sharing the workload given to children.
• Serving as a role model.
• Balancing work and time for the entire family.
Parents can mentally review the three parts of responsibility as they relate to a task or chore :
• Does the child understand the task?
• Does the child accept the task?
• Does the child have the ability to motivate him or herself to do the task?
Here's a great website for teaching your teenager responsibility at
http://www.youthbuilders.com/Articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?iArticleId=281
For teaching teens household responsibility, go to http://www.parentsoup.com/offline/teenyears/articles/0,8248,166568_183223,00.html
And finally, http://www.youthbuilders.com/Articles/ has tons of more links!
III. ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSIONS TO HAVE TOGETHER:
1. Create WITHOUT BEING REMINDED (WBR) cards. On index cards, write down things that you're always seem to be nagging your child to do. When they do the item without being reminded, give them a WBR card with praise and "catch ' em being good"!
2. Think about a time you relied on someone and were let down. Reflect on some aspect of this experience.
3. Provide opportunities for volunteer service. Tie this into responsibility towards others and the community.
4. Encourage students to discuss taking responsibility for their own learning. Encourage students to develop meta-awareness of how they learn best and develop strategies for improvement.
5. The Not Making Excuses Jar - Fill a jar with one bean for each minute of class time or delaying in getting out the door in time. Each time a child makes an excuse one bean is removed. Time that is not wasted listening to excuses or waiting can be free time at the end of the week/month. Previously removed beans can be replaced when students demonstrate responsibility.
6. You Are What You Eat - Create activities, discussions targeted at making responsible food choices.
7. Discuss how taking responsibility for ourselves involves accepting the consequences for our actions and choices. This means that the things we do affect what happens to us.
8. Discuss how the "poor pitiful me" attitude blames others for our circumstances while giving us an excuse not to take responsibility.
IV. QUOTES :
"If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders." by Abigail Van Buren
"The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs." by Joan Didion
"Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power." by Josiah Gilbert Holland
"People need responsibility. They resist it, but they can not get along without it." by John Steinbech
"When we have begun to take charge of our lives, to own ourselves, there is no longer any need to ask permission of someone." by G. O'Neil
"The reason people blame things on the previous generations is that there's only one other choice." by Doug Larson
"If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams." by Les Brown
"Nobody can do it for you." by Ralph Cordiner
V. UPCOMING EVENTS; LINK OF THE MONTH; & NEWS:
For recommended books with responsibility lessons for Ages 4 - 8, and 9- 12; see http://www.pausd.palo-alto.ca.us/schoolsites/hays/Home/reading_lists/responsibility.htm go to bottom of page at http://www.bu.edu/education/caec/files/teacherresources.htm
Character Corner compiled by Nancy Caggia, WCPTA Character Education Chair: nancyc121@nc.rr.com
