September 2007 Newsletter
Excuses
"Where is your homework?" asked the teacher.
"My dog ate it," the little boy replied.
"Young man, I've taught school for eighteen years. Do you really expect me to believe that excuse?"
"But it's true!" the boy exclaimed. "I had to smear it with honey, but I finally got him to eat it!"
Don't make excuses for neglecting your responsibilities, and don't look for someone else to blame. Keep your word, even when it becomes harder than you expected.
Humor provided by www.cleanjokeoftheday.com.
To Your Post
In a.d. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city of Pompeii.
Archeologists have uncovered the remains of some 2,000 inhabitants fleeing or seeking shelter in attics. But one soldier remained at his post, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Today his armor stands in the National Museum at Naples.
Know your role, and always keep your word. Others can count on a dependable person to do his or her duty, whatever it costs.
Dependable Leadership
Build trustworthiness by practicing dependable leadership. Demonstrate your commitment to the mission and to your team members when you face unexpected difficulties.
- Do not make inflated promises about future possibilities for individual employees or the organization as a whole.
- Set an example of scheduling, concentration, and availability for your colleagues.
- Consider ways you can structure your business in order to weather downturns and reduce the need to cut jobs.
- Think through what you need from team members, and make sure each person has what he or she needs.
- Communicate objectives, priorities, and deadlines.
- Consider your coworkers' personal needs and priorities during life-changing events or family crises.
- Plan your work in order to avoid unreasonable demands on employee time and energy.
- If policies become unproductive, work through appropriate channels to adjust them.
Read more about Dependability in this month's bulletin
Building Bridges
Bridges come in many shapes and sizes, but they must all provide safe and reliable passage.
Find or draw pictures of various bridges you have seen. Then build one using craft sticks, foam cups, string, wire, or other supplies.
Consider how each bridge must withstand temperature and stress to provide safety for all who use the bridge. Explain how each part of the bridge depends on all the other parts.
Discuss how each decision contributes to a person's dependability just as each part of a bridge contributes to the bridge's stability. Ask your children how others depend on them and what each child can do to become more dependable.
For more teaching resources, visit the Character First! website, or talk to a customer service representative at (405) 815-0001.
Character Training Behind Bars
In 1999, Major Cliff Uranga, Oklahoma County Detention Center Administrator, asked Chaplain Argyl
Dick for help with the juvenile offenders at the county jail.
Male juvenile offenders with charges too severe for the Juvenile Detention Center are housed at the county jail. Since the jail is a holding place, there were no activities provided for the juvenile offenders, and boredom led to trouble as the young men fought one another and destroyed anything within reach. The jail suffered thousands of dollars in damage each month in the juvenile area.
Chaplain Dick's assignment was to find a positive activity for the juvenile boys. Chaplain Dick
found the Character First! curriculum and believed that developing good character would address the
underlying attitudes that cause juvenile delinquency.
Chaplain Dick started a weekly Character First! class for the juvenile males. Attendance was voluntary, and at first some of the young men were not interested. However, interest grew over several months, and the class became very popular. By the end of one year, ninety-nine percent of the young men chose to attend class each week, and property damage fell to zero. Six years later, attendance is still ninety-nine percent, and property damage remains at zero. Use of force in the juvenile unit has become extremely rare.
Character First! classes at the Oklahoma County Detention Center have expanded to include female juvenile offenders and adult gang leaders. Character First! is also implemented among officers and detention center staff.
Read more about Character First! in correctional facilities, and find out how you can begin a similar program.