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Ms. Sonya Smith, North Vista Elementary School Counselor

October

INDIVIDUALITY

November

cooperation

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

Counselor’s Corner

INDIVIDUALITY is our Character Word for October 2009

INDIVIDUALITY: Discovering who you are meant to be so you can make a difference

Why is individuality important? Because individuality builds confidence. A child who is encouraged in his or her efforts will confidently explore and learn to use his or her talents. Individuality emphasizes a child’s uniqueness. By realizing how they are special, children are able to accept others as individuals. Individuality develops the foundation of healthy self-esteem. We can encourage children by giving praise for successes, and gently instructing when failures come.

Here are three ways you give your child the chance to discover their individuality.

Acknowledge each child’s uniqueness. Part of the joy and wonder of watching each child develop into an individual is to observe how he or she meets daily challenges. It requires a deliberate exploration of their physical talents and personality traits. We don’t want to force every child into the same mold. There are no carbon copies, no clones, no duplicates.

Allow discovery. The process of recognizing one’s individuality thrives when we are permitted to work through situations or problems. Children need to see why they succeed or fail. Personalizing that knowledge is the key to their realization of individuality. Kids need freedom to fail as well as freedom to succeed in order to best discover who they are meant to be.

Speak words that encourage. Learning what makes us an individual involves many emotional ups and downs. Knowing a child’s temperament will help you choose what kind of guidance to give. Praise can be given simply for their effort. You may give an explanation of why you believe they failed. Failure doesn’t have to mean defeat. Giving encouraging insight will help your child discover how his or her approach to a problem can be improved.

CATCH YOUR CHILD showing individuality

Core Essentials believes that a key way to help students internalize the character values being taught is to “catch” them demonstrating the value. Here are a few suggestions on how you can catch your child, and let him or her know you see them showing his or her own individuality.

• Watch for when your child continues to follow the proper behavior and make good choices when others don’t.

• Look for creative artwork and original writing, and highlight the creative work.

• Watch your child at play and recognize when he or she leads by stepping out and leading in a positive way.

• Listen when your child shares ideas and other original thoughts.

These are just a few ways you can catch your child showing individuality. The Core Essentials Program believes it takes an INWARD attitude to influence OUTWARD behavior. The Program is based on aligning the home and school to teach character.

If you do catch your child expressing his or her individuality, we would love to hear about it. Tell us what your child did in a note sent into the school, or an e-mail sent directly to his or her teacher.

COOPERATION is our Character Word for November 2009.

COOPERATION: Working together to do more than you can do alone

Activities children engage in while growing up can prepare them to effectively work with others. How can we help kids see the importance of cooperation and begin to build a solid base for working with others? Children need to know that:

Individuality and cooperation go hand in hand. As important as it is to help children understand their unique talents and personalities, it is just as important to help them see how their uniqueness can complement others to accomplish more. Children need to see that cooperating with others confirms their individual worth and acknowledges the benefits of working toward a shared purpose.

Cooperation turns individual discouragement into shared success. Realistically viewing a difficult situation or task can be very discouraging. The issue is not the analysis of the problem but the emotional response. Teaming up to tackle a task breaks what appears to be an overwhelming chore into achievable pieces. Children need to see that working cooperatively overcomes discouragement and multiplies the feeling of success.

Recognizing personal limits encourages cooperation. Learning to become a confident individual is important. But even the most self-assured cannot do everything. Perhaps a benefit of difficult situations is that our personal limits are defined for us. Though such discoveries are somewhat uncomfortable, these times help us see where cooperation makes seemingly impossible tasks possible.

CATCH YOUR CHILD showing cooperation

Core Essentials believes that a key way to help your child internalize the character values being taught is to “catch” them demonstrating the value. Here are a few suggestions on how you can catch your child, and let him or her know you see them showing cooperation.

• Note when your child works well with others, during playtime or doing chores.

• Notice when your child works cooperatively with younger or older children.

• Catch your child working together with other kids or coaches to put things back in their place.

These are just a few ways you can catch your child showing cooperation. The Core Essentials Program believes it takes an INWARD attitude to influence OUTWARD behavior. The Program is based on aligning the home and school to teach character.

If you do catch your child cooperating, we would love to hear about it. Tell us what your child did in a note sent into the school, or an e-mail sent directly to his or her teacher.