What’s Right With Our Schools: Character Ed Program builds students’ character

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Northwest Laurens Elementary is working to teach its students about becoming leaders.

Teachers are taking an approach that focuses on ethics, and they’re inviting community volunteers to share real world lessons.

Fifth grader Breighlynn Tevez says, “I just love it. It’s a really great way to learn.”

It’s a learning tool that is keeping students at Northwest Laurens Elementary on the road to success. Character Ed Program volunteers from the area come up to the school once a month and pre-record short video clips that air on the school’s morning newscast each day. Each segment is called ‘character counts’.

Volunteers dress up like super heros and portray character traits in the videos.

Josh Stewart, also known as ‘Jammin’ Josh’ says, “A lot of these kids, we don’t know what their homes lives are, we don’t know what’s  going on outside of school, and so being able to teach them about being courageous, and being trustworthy and being honest you know we’re trying to better them as students but hopefully these are characteristics they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”

“I like how they all do like a funny skit,” fifth grader Anna Kate Martin adds.

Volunteers are teaching students traits like responsibility. They’re taking responsibility for their behavior and walking the third block in the hallways quietly and keeping their hands to themselves.

Spence Lovett, also known as ‘Super Spence’ says they’re like role models to the students. He adds teachers and students can show characteristics like ‘honesty’ throughout the school.

“Peeking on somebody’s test or something during a test and we’ll re-emphasize kids this is how you display honesty doing the right thing,” Lovett explains.

“They remind us what our character counts is, what our character should be that day and help us make good decisions,” says fifth grader Cary Scopeman.

Breleighlynn Tevez adds, “When they teach us these words, those go on for us for the rest of our lives and it teaches us students a lot of great things that we need to know.”

Volunteers say they can tell by the students’ behavior, how the program is shaping the students.

Kim Dixon, also known as ‘Kaleidoscope Kim’ says, “It’s neat to see the kids reactions, to hear them in the community when they call us by name and it’s not by the names they typically know us by. It’s the character traits we teach them by.”

The knowledge gained through this program is keeping the students eager to learn  and understand what it takes to be a better person inside and outside of the class.

The school has focused on teaching students about their positive traits for several years. Administrators help shape lessons with the volunteers before they make their videos.