Having Fun With the Six Pillars of CharacterServe Idaho Conference

March 9 - 11, 2011Presented by: Russ Weedon

What is Character?

“The real test of our character is whether we’re willing to do the right thing even when it’s not in our self-

interest.”

Character

• When we refer to a specific person’s character, we’re concerned with his or her personality, what kind of person he or she is on the inside. Everyone has a character.

• When we refer to someone as having character, the term implies good character. It’s a moral judgment that the person is especially worthy, virtuous, or admirable in terms of ethical qualities.

• When we refer to building character, we’re concerned with instilling within a person positive, admirable, and ethical traits associated with good character.

Character

Everyone has character, but not everyone has good character.

– When we refer to a specific person’s character, we’re concerned with the moral choices he or she makes and the virtues he or she may or may not practice.

– A person has good character because he or she knows the difference between right and wrong and strives to do what is right for the right reasons.

“Character is revealed by how you behave when you think no one’s

looking.”

Showing Our True Character

We don’t show our true character by:

– Rare acts of moral courage

– Single acts of bad behavior

Showing Our True Character

Our true character is shown every day by:

– Our normal and consistent attitudes and behavior

– How we treat people who cannot help or hurt us

“A person’s character refers to dispositions and habits that determine the way that person normally responds

to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures, and successes.”

Can You Teach Character And Make It Fun?

“Pay It Forward”

• What are some of the things you would like to see changed in your family, school, community, or the world as a whole?

• Has anyone ever done anything for you, which made a real difference in our life – something you couldn’t have done on your own?

• What are the good aspects of this plan? What, if anything is bad about the plan?

• Do you agree with the notion that, when paying it forward, “it has to be big?”

Six Pillars of Character

• TRUSTWORTHINESS – honesty, integrity, promise-keeping, loyalty

• RESPECT – courtesy, nonviolence, tolerance, autonomy

• RESPONSIBILITY – duty, accountability, pursuit of excellence, self-restraint

• FAIRNESS – openness, consistency, impartiality

• CARING – kindness, compassion, empathy

• CITIZENSHIP – civic virtue, lawfulness, common good

Trustworthiness

Trust is essential to meaningful relationships, enduring and rewarding friendships, and

successful associations in school, extracurricular activities, and the

workplace.

Trustworthiness EmbodiesFour Ethical Principles

• Integrity• Honesty• Promise-Keeping• Loyalty

“Liar Liar”

Discussion/Debate• Are “white lies” okay?

Why? Why not?• With which character do

you relate? Have you told a lie to save someone you know from being hurt by the truth?

• Are there “appropriate” times to be honest, or should you be honest all the time?

Reflection• Write a reflection paper

comparing being honest because it is the right thing to do versus being honest just to hurt someone.

The Balloon Game

Respect

The ethical duty is to treat everyone with respect — not to respect

everyone in the sense that we hold all people in high esteem or admire

them.

Seven Rules of Respect

• Honor the individual worth and dignity of others.

• Show courtesy and civility.

• Honor reasonable social standards and customs.

• Live by the Golden Rule.

• Accept differences and judge on character and ability.

• Respect the autonomy of others.

• Avoid actual or threatened violence.

Respect/Self-Respect

“Remember the Titans”• How can you teach

people to respect each other?

• What divisions do you see around you: black/white, in-crowd/out-crowd, etc. How can you overcome those divisions?

“Boundin’”• Why do people treat

those who are different unkindly?

• Have people ever looked down on you because of how you looked or acted? Have you ever treated someone unkindly because of how they looked or acted?

A young man goes into a store to apply for a job as a sales clerk. The man doing the interview notices the young man is wearing a T-

shirt and his jeans are dirty and torn. It looks like he has not washed his face or combed his hair recently. The young man

seems very qualified for the job, but the interviewer decides not to give the young man the job because of how he looks.

Group One will support the following statement: “The interviewer showed disrespect for the young man.”Group Two will support the following statement: “The young man showed disrespect for the man who did the interview and disrespect for the job by wearing dirty, torn clothes and not combing his hair.”

Playing Card Hierarchy

Responsibility

Responsibility

• Life is full of choices . . . – Responsibility is an important aspect of good

character: the moral obligation to choose attitudes, words, and actions and the duty to accept personal responsibility for the consequences of those actions.

• Responsibility requires that you recognize what you do — and don’t do — matters.

Responsibility for Self & Others

“Teen Wolf”• How do you control your

own power?• Why do people

sometimes feel ashamed of themselves and their abilities? How do we treat others who are different?

“Drumline”• What is the difference

between helpful and harmful peer pressure?

• Are we responsible for other’s actions? Why or why not?

The Wright Family

Fairness

What Is Fairness?

• Fair decisions are made in an appropriate manner based on appropriate criteria.

• The virtue of fairness establishes moral standards for decisions that affect others.

Two Aspects of Fairness

• Process – How we make decisions.– The moral obligation is to make decisions fairly.

This is called procedural fairness.• Results – What we decide (the substance of the

decision). The consequences or benefits should be fair.– The moral obligation is to make fair decisions.

This is called substantive fairness.

Honor/Integrity

“War Games”• Would you change your

grade if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?

• How has the internet and even social media done to make it easier to cheat in school?

“Eight Men Out”• Can your friends count on

you? Why? Why not?• Have you ever had

someone you trust let you down? How do you view that person after that?

Making Fair Decisions

You are an employer who, for budget reasons, has to let go of one employee. What is fair?

• Able, your newest employee who is young and unmarried, is your best producer. He gets more work done effectively than any other employee.

• Nettie is a competent worker of four years, a single mother with three small children at home. She needs the job the most.

• Oldham has worked for the company the longest, for 18 years, and is two years away from a pension.

• Tryhard is a good producer with a terrific attitude and the hardest worker you have.

• Nepo, a competent employee, is the son of one of the owners of the company.

Caring

Caring

• To show love, regard, or concern for the well-being of others

• Compassion• Empathy• Kindness and

consideration

• Charity• Sacrifice• Gratitude• Mercy• Forgiveness

Forgiveness/Healing

“Billy Madison”• What are the essential

parts of a good apology?• When should we

apologize to someone? What if it has been a long time? What good does an apology do much later?

“Antwone Fisher”• How can forgiveness heal

the forgiver?• “Regard without ill will

despite an offense” – is the dictionary definition of forgiveness. What do those words mean to you?

Caring Heart Examination

In the last two weeks, have you…

• Written a thank you note to someone?• Done volunteer work for which you personally volunteered?• Given money to charity that you did not document for tax purposes?• Sent a card or small gift to someone even though it was not a special

occasion?• Praised someone for a job well done?• Sincerely listened to another’s problems?• Visited someone in the hospital?• Offered to perform a task for someone else?• Nursed a small animal back to health?• Called and offered to relieve stress for someone?

Do You Have a Caring Heart?

• 6 – 10 (Shows a happy, healthy, caring heart)• 3 – 5 (Medication needed)• 1 – 2 (Surgery required)• 0 (CLEAR – resuscitation needed!)

Citizenship

Citizenship

• The duties, rights, conduct and responsibilities of the citizen of a state.

• Fulfill your civic duties.• Do your share.• Respect authority.• Pursue civic virtues.

Citizenship

“The Ant Bully”• What does “E Pluribus

Unum” mean?• What are the essential

elements of a good citizen?

“World Trade Center”• Today we are afraid of

simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. We don’t believe in the good old words because we don’t believe in good old values anymore. And that’s why the world is sick.”

- Lin Yutang

“Ridiculous Rules” Paper Airplanes

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Questions/Comments

Thank You!!!