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I thought the presentation was very good and engaging!  I particularly like the cow greeting activity.  I thought it was hilarious and enjoyed doing with our classmates.   So I had a couple students come up to me and ask if I would create a handshake with them.  So we executed a new handshake and I ended it with a cow greeting.   they thought it was great!!!  The proceeded to go around to the other students and complete a cow greeting which was very comical. :) - Bradley Marlowe

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I thought the presentation was very good and engaging!  I particularly like the cow greeting activity.  I thought it was hilarious and enjoyed doing with our classmates.   So I had a couple students come up to me and ask if I would create a handshake with them.  So we executed a new handshake and I ended it with a cow greeting.   they thought it was great!!!  The proceeded to go around to the other students and complete a cow greeting which was very comical. :) - Bradley Marlowe

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This one was mine - Jeremiah Great Ideas!I thought the toothpaste activity was great! I have a very drama filled class this year and this activity was a perfect visual for some of them to really see that it's important to choose your words carefully because they can't be taken back. Next time I may partner students who don't always get along to give them a chance to reflect with each other. I also tried the "milking" handshake with the students for their morning greeting and they LOVED it haha!

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This one was mine - Jeremiah Great Ideas!I thought the toothpaste activity was great! I have a very drama filled class this year and this activity was a perfect visual for some of them to really see that it's important to choose your words carefully because they can't be taken back. Next time I may partner students who don't always get along to give them a chance to reflect with each other. I also tried the "milking" handshake with the students for their morning greeting and they LOVED it haha!

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I am on my school's homeroom/advisory committee and we incorporate character education through Habits of Mind.  We've been incorporating many different   habits that successful people use, like persisting, listening with understanding and empathy, and finding humor.  They've gone really well for this first year that we've used them, but there isn't much time to connect with our homeroom students since we only see them three times a week.  I'd like to really be able to spend more time on these habits with them.
-Maranda Cameron

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I didn't have the chance to try it in class but during my classes weekend share out I shared this story of trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. We worked this into a discussion on  how we treat each other. Making sure that our feedback is always constructive because we can't put it back once it's out

Tim Anderson

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I did this activity with my kindergartners after winter break.  I gave each student a small heart and I had a bigger heart.  At the end of the story we had a discussion.  One student understood the visual but the other two students didn't quite get it.
-Karina Korman

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I did this activity with my first graders after winter break.  It was a great way to conclude the  revisiting of expectations.  I was happy to find the Chrysanthemum video on Learn 360.   My first graders were excited to see the book I read at the beginning of the year come to life in the video.  They were quite timid when it came to crinkling or tearing the heart.  I started encouraging them to be a little more aggressive as the story was coming to an end.  The last boy is a great rule follower usually quite shy.  I was quite surprised when he actually tore the heart in half!  Adding tape over the tear made for a great visual and talking point.  -I printed the heart poem in color and had it laminated, so I can use this each year.  Love this activity!  ~Kim Stromback

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I really enjoyed the toothpaste activity, and think it is something I will physically do with my homeroom students the next time that we have a character education day (we only have this class once a week). Otherwise without doing the actual activity, I had that discussion with my classes and related it to social media, and how its out there even if you delete it.
-Emily Hackenmueller

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Awesome presentation! Character Education is highly incorporated into all subject areas throughout my district. It is critical that students build these skills as they can directly affect their future and school experience. I had a talk with an 8th grade class about the importance of respect and showing empathy towards one another. Although we talk often about good sportsmanship and teamwork, this discussion was related to their lives outside of the classroom and it seemed to hit home for most of the students. I also talked a little about proper greetings and the use of eye contact. We had a group discussion about the importance of greetings. Again, great job and thank you for the ideas!

Jesse Ostertag

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I tried this with my class of 5th graders the last day of school before break.  The part that went well was the discussion afterword.  We had a classroom discussion about scars being made by really mean words.  We shared stories of how sometimes although we forgive, we may never forget how we got the scar on our hearts.
I think for next time I might find a different video/activity (other than the crinkled heart)-it didn't seem to fit the issues that tweens face. I will have to do some searching. Maybe the toothpaste activity for next time.
-Tammy Miels

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I love this story! I showed it to my class (video with a silly lady reading the book on YouTube). We also tied it to the Golden Rule book. We made a book of our own; each student illustrated a page that showed what the golden rule means to them.  This lesson went really well; I wish we had more time to spend on it.  It was really cool to see students empathizing with others and they loved making our classroom book.  I intend to try the wrinkled heart activity when we get back and are re-establishing rules and procedures.

If you're looking for another awesome book for character education, try You Are Special by Max Lucado...it's amazing!
-Lisa Thul

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I decided to start with talking about important character traits. I wanted their opinion as to what they thought made for good character, a happy person, and a successful life. It was interesting to hear their resonses at a 5th and 6th grade level. Then I showed them information about the six pillars of character. It was amazing to see how their own thoughts and feelings coincided with those 6 pillars.  This was all tied into the idea of random acts of kindness. It all came together great! I wouldn't change anything, only add more to it or try something different for the sake of variety.
Elizabeth Blume

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The story and activity fit in perfectly with the social-emotional skills I was focusing on that week (respect).  This kids loved the story!  I did the toothpaste activity in front of the class as a whole group.  My students came up with lots of great ideas of how they could get the toothpaste back in, but noticed that none were very successful.  We were able to relate this lesson with the wrinkled heart lesson we did at the beginning of the year.  One thing I would change is using the actual book instead of a Youtube video.  There were not very many options for the read aloud online, and reading it myself would allow better opportunities for pausing to discuss things in the book.
-Laura Alonzi

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I tried the Toothpaste Activity with my 8th grade Advisory as part of my "Life Lessons with Mrs. J" Curriculum (it's totally self written and self taught).  My Advisory is a random mix of 18 students, some who struggle with being friendly and positive (weird).  Most of them had a big "Whoa. That's deep, Mrs J." moment.  Thank you for the great idea! and great job with your presentation!  I think a lot of people forget we are also teaching our students how to be human!
-Margaret Jakoblich

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I tried the paper heart activity in my classroom this week. I gave each student a small paper heart and I had a big paper heart. We watched the story Chrysanthemum and crinkled our hearts as the story went on. When the story was finished we talked about our hearts and tried to smooth them out. Most of them understood the visual, but for some of my kindergartners it was over their head. I was slightly disappointed but will definitely tweak it again for next year. We have the heart hanging in our room as a reminder about the words we choose to use and how they affect others. - Kaylee Fraser

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I really enjoyed the presentation as well as all of the resources. The wrinkled heart demonstration came at a great time for me, because as many teachers know, kids can get stir crazy in the month of December. My students have been getting a bit of cabin fever since the cold weather has rolled in. I decided to do the wrinkled heart activity and the students loved it. We had a great discussion, and I will definitely do this again next year.
-Jessica Wold

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I printed the greeting guidelines slide and shared it with my students.  One major struggle children with autism have is making eye contact.  This was a great way to begin to talk about how to greet others. We practiced as we sat at circle time and turned to our neighbor to practice.
We then used a movement song by Dr. Jean called 'Hello Friends' to practice the guidelines.  It was really fun.  My students loved the music and being able to move.  This is a great song that I have used before; you get to practice greeting others but it has some great movement in it as well. In the past, we've just waved at each other when saying "Hello, how are you?".  This time we practiced the guidelines of making eye contact and shaking hands.  It was awesome.  I will definitely continue to use this strategy for teaching how to greet others:)
JoEllen

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The wrinkled heart activity came in handy at just the right time! At first I was a little apprehensive about implementing with my 5th graders, in fear that it would feel too childish and silly to them, but it wasn't as was MUCH needed on that given day/week! I was beginning to grow rather tired of my group of students saying mean things to one another, usually quietly, behind ones another's backs, and out of my line of sight. After many complaints of these actions by the students, I decided this activity was completely necessary. So on a whim one day, I completed this activity and they seemed to really get a lot out of it, really understanding that words and actions can be damaging. Students were first asked to share one not so kind thing they said to someone or was said to them-in which they tore or wrinkled the heart. Then they were asked to follow it up with sharing something kind that they said to someone or that was said to them. Topping it off with the signed band-aids was a great finish...they enjoyed that connection! I was also able to have students make connections to a current novel we are reading together in class, which they enjoyed too.

-Laura Thompson

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I did the wrinkled heart activity with my third graders during our morning meeting.  Some of the students had done it in 2nd grade but it was a great reminder of how our actions/words can impact others.  The activity lends itself well to a powerful conversation.  I noticed someone else had each student have a heart.  That  is a great idea.  Perhaps I will do that another time with the students and they can hang it at home as a reminder.  I would also like to follow this up with the toothpaste activity aftere break.
Tawnya

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I can't wait to try the wrinkled heart activity with my class when I head back to work. What a great activity to start 2017 with!  You all did such a great job with your presentation.  The activities were so well prepared and so hands on. Thanks for the great ideas!
-- Sarah

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I LOVED the toothpaste activity! Coincidentally, I have been dealing with a small group of girls on my track team who always seem to be involved in high school drama and gossip. The drama was so bad last season that I had to get parents and administration involved for issues with bullying and harassment. I haven't had the opportunity to try to toothpaste activity yet because the track season starts in March, but I certainly plan on using that activity to demonstrate the importance of using kind words. So often, students don't consider the power of their words. Thanks for the great idea!
-Brittney Moffatt

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In my math classroom I have students seated in pairs and they often work together when attempting problems from a lesson to help each other. I change the pairs within my room roughly every 2 weeks and when I changed them this week I used the techniques taught for introductions. Students were reminded to look each other in the eye when introducing themselves and they were also asked to shake hands. I also gave them a few different talking prompts to engage with their new partner prior to beginning a math lesson. The extra 5 minutes of discussion among partners, that in many cases were strangers, has really helped in their collaborative work together.
-Andy LaHoud

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I loved it! My kids did too. We did it a little differently. I had everyone make their own heart and they crinkled their own to hand on the cupboards. I love the story to go with it! They all loved it and it was great to talk about saying helpful versus hurtful things because sometimes you are trying to help someone even if they don't want to hear it.

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I tried the toothpaste activity with my first graders, except I didn't have toothpaste so I used liquid glue instead. It was hilarious to watch them let loose with the glue, and then see the looks on their faces when I told them it needed to all be put back in the bottle without taking the top off! They struggled and got really frustrated, but I also heard some laughter too. Afterwards we had a discussion and I think some kids got it and others not so much. In any case, it was fun and they enjoyed it!

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Peeps!! Such a great way to get us started with the study group presentations!  I think you set the bar really high.  I loved all of the activities that you had us work through and the deeper meaning behind all of them.
With my classroom specifically, I did the toothpaste challenge with my two Geography classes at the beginning of the new trimester.  The high school kiddos often don't buy into this sort of stuff but after we did it and I told them the deeper meaning we had a really nice conversation about being a good person.  With high school students, it connects really well with social media behavior as well and that led us to talk about social media use and how social media is not something that disappears.  Good work!!! - Rachel Haemig

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I thought the toothpaste activity was great! I have a very drama filled class this year and this activity was a perfect visual for some of them to really see that it's important to choose your words carefully because they can't be taken back. Next time I may partner students who don't always get along to give them a chance to reflect with each other. I also tried the "milking" handshake with the students for their morning greeting and they LOVED it haha!

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I loved what this presentation was all about! I think I need to do all of it with my 7th graders! I especially plan to do the toothpaste activity with my students. I think they would have a lot of fun with it and completely understand what it meant as well. I like the idea of then keeping tooth paste in the classroom so they are always reminded of it. I also like the handshake idea. Sometimes my 7th graders need a break to just be silly and I think I can try to incorporate this in as a brain break!
-Brittney Niebuhr

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I loved the wrinkled heart idea. I had heard of it before, but never actually did it in my classroom. I would have liked to have done it at the beginning of the year, but now is a good time too. We listened to the story, and tore the heart when something mean was said. It was cute because my students didn't want to tear the heart or crumple it. So many timidly wrinkled the heart or put a tiny tear in it. It was nice to see that my students wanted to be kind. I now have the heart hanging up in the classroom as a reminder. This was a great idea! -Leanne Jeffcoat

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One of the items that always comes up in my class is character education.  I try to find different ways to get into the topic.  I used professionalism as my conversation starter.  We had some students acting out in a bit of name calling.  I was able to take that moment to discuss what is required of a person and their character in a professional workplace.  During that time, the students offered elements of feedback and support to a more appropriate way of thinking and acting.  I know it is not quite the same as what was discussed in class, but it fit my environment.
-Joe Bruhjell

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Nice presentation guys! I really liked the handshake activity that you guys did and had students introduce themselves that way to their group members on day one since I have mixed classes and they usually don't all know eachother. I also have been stressing the importance of having good character in class espeically working in groups. Drama ensues in my classroom mostly because students are disrespectful to group members when they make errors; or they don't know eachother and won't make an effort to get to know the other people in the group. We also talked about leadership, good communication, and having a positive outlook and how that can affect the way you feel abot others, yourself, and situations.
-Charissa Larson

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Awesome job!  I really enjoyed your presentation!  I did the toothpaste activity.  I drew two sticks to have two students come up to get all of the toothpaste out of the tube.  The rest of the class watched and gave suggestions on how to get it back in. The kids thought they could put it in their mouths and spit it back in.  When that idea came up, I decided it was time to stop the activity and explain it.  The students were shocked, and it was very impacting I believe.  Next time I might get travel size toothpaste tubes so everyone could participate (or in partners).  Also, I may give a ground rule ahead of time that they cannot use their mouth! :)  Thanks again for the great ideas!
-Angie Erickson

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Mr. Potato Head Good Character Week - Paula Lutz

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Mr. Potato Head Good Character Week - Paula Lutz

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I usually pull out Mr. Potato Head around this time of year to focus students on positive parts of our time together. We add a body part every time we are caught doing good! I have a social goal I post every week along with the learning targets. This week's goal is: We practice good character. I printed out the 6 Pillars of Character - Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. We talked about it and, at the end of class, we reflected on where we saw examples of them as we added body parts. It has been great so far! Thanks for the great resources. I have started a refrain to go with the Do Unto Otters book. Can't wait to read and sing it!

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A wonderful presentation by all members on character education.  I plan on using the idea of handshake greetings in my class.  I loved the variety of greetings that were provided and I can't believe I have never used this form of community greetings in my career!  I love learning new things and I enjoyed the experience of your presentation including the power of our words to the powerful testimonies and the way in which you presented your material with media, knowledge, and skills.  Thank you for a job well done!
-Lori B

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Thanks for the engaging and informative presentation. I am currently reading the book Wonder in my classroom and we just got to a part where Auggie, the main character, is bullied by a group of students. We sat in a circle and passed around the heart, crumpling and ripping it as the story continued. We had a great discussion afterwards on the effects of hurtful words/actions. We hung up the poem and included Band-Aids with the students' names on them. We hung it up in the room as a reminder of the power of words! Thanks for the great idea.

Bobbi Wiinanen

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I like to do the "torn heart" activity at the start of the year with my class. I use the "Don't Laugh At Me" song and picture book to introduce it. It's a nice visual to drive the point home. I like the idea of making a large heart and then hanging it up for the year. It would be a good reminder for the class. I also plan to use the "Do Unto Otters" book. I just loved it. Thanks for you presentation!

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I like to do the "torn heart" activity at the start of the year with my class. I use the "Don't Laugh At Me" song and picture book to introduce it. It's a nice visual to drive the point home. I like the idea of making a large heart and then hanging it up for the year. It would be a good reminder for the class. I also plan to use the "Do Unto Otters" book. I just loved it. Thanks for you presentation!

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- Patti Clark

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Great job on your research and presentation! The things you talked about are important for all students in all grades. I always talk about having good character in my class and posted it at one of my I CAN statements on my board. I also had my students complete The Toothpaste Challenge and it was a very good activity and visual for them. I now keep a tube of toothpaste on my desk for a constant reminder to use your words wisely because you can never take them back.