In terms of strengths, Kendall displays several. Under Wisdom, she exhibits a love of learning, reflected in higher than average grades. She also displays creativity also under Wisdom as she loves to draw. Under Humanity, Kendall displays kindness (to peers) and social emotional intelligence which is reflected in the way she readily shares with other students and her many positive relationships with her peers. Under Justice, she displays good teamwork skills, a sense of fairness (sharing) and leadership qualities.

Aspects that Kendall needs to improve include Temperance and her self regulation skills. Also, Courage in that she needs to develop perseverance to initiate and follow through with assignments and activities that she does not particularly want to do.

Omar has significant difficulties with self regulation, impulsive behavior, lack of attention and defiance of adult directives. He has shown aggression towards his teachers and often refuses to do class assignments. During a testing session with this school psychologist Omar completed tasks, but generally gave the impression of not wanting to work and often would attempt tasks but gave up quickly or was impulsive and careless in responding.   

My contact with Omar was within testing sessions, observations in the classroom, and teacher reports.

Omar displays several strengths that fall within the Justice domain and the Courage domain. Omar exhibits a potential for leadership (Justice) as he influences his peers (although often not in a good way). He displays the strength of honesty (Courage) as he is not afraid to speak his mind and has always been upfront about his feelings. He exhibits humor (Transcendence) by revealing a subtle dry wit.

Omar needs to improve in the areas of Wisdom and Humanity. He needs to develop a love of learning and motivation to learn (Wisdom). Omar needs to develop social emotional

self regulation (Temperance), in order to most effectively navigate his interpersonal environment, particularly with adults or those in charge. He needs to develop perseverance (Courage) in order to stay motivated even when the task at hand is challenging.

Wisdom domain, such as a love of learning, as reflected in good grades in spite of not completing all assignments. Under that domain

Wisdom: I love to learn and would happily send all of my time in a classroom.

Perseverance: I generally always finish what I start and if I am not successful, I keep trying.

Humanity: I have a pretty good sense of social emotional intelligence. I can read people's cues easily.

Transcendence: I have an appreciation for beauty and symmetry in my environment. I also have hope that things will be better when there is a downturn.

Justice: I always try to look at both sides of a problem and shift my perspective to help me understand.

Areas for Improvement:

Courage: There are times when I have run out of zest for life.

Justice: Leadership. While I can and have led and delegated, I do not see myself as a leader. I am somewhat uncomfortable in that role.

Omar: 

I am not sure how to quantify it, but I think Omar sees his identity in terms of his standing within the peer group at his school. He likely cherishes his physicality and sense of humor which elevates him in his social setting. 

Omar also likely identifies himself in terms of his ethnicity- middle eastern- and religion, which is Muslim, which sets him apart from his peer group. 

Kendall: 

Kendall is young but may see part of her identity as being part of the group of children that have a documented disability as she has been identified and provided with an IEP. She also may of conscious of her race, as she is white and a minority in her mostly black school. 

1. Helping Omar develop self-awareness is a critical step in helping him manage his behavior. Omar’s poor behavior regulation can potentially derail his education and learning.   He must regulate his emotions to make good choices by thinking through his actions rather than just reacting to a situation.     This should have an end result in better behavior in the classroom, resulting in positive reinforcement by his teachers, which will increase his sense of self-worth. It may also contribute to better interactions with his peers.   Helping Omar identify his assets, both personal and cultural will also help to promote his self worth.        Asking Omar about his feelings, particularly after a behavioral incident or just everyday occurrences, can help him put a label on his emotions.   It may help him become aware of when he is feeling good and positive and when his emotions make him feel bad or negative.   This will also help him recognize the physical responses accompanying these feelings.     Hopefully, he can then predict when a certain action will have a positive or negative consequence.      Asking him about himself, such as his likes or dislikes and what goals he has, in a gentle and non-prying way, can help set the stage for relationship building.     An adult sharing appropriate feelings that they have had, modeling openness and promoting the awareness that others are also motivated by feelings can help him see the perspectives of others, seeing a situation differently.    Keeping a journal can also help give structure to his feelings. 

2. Omar needs to develop self-management skills in order to stay calm and focused and make wise choices.   A teacher or therapist can help him by exploring what feelings he may be having and what his emotional triggers are and by encouraging good personal choices.    They can talk about what he may have done differently in each situation to promote a different and more positive outcome.    Teaching Omar tools to use when he is frustrated or beginning to get angry, such as deep breathing or asking for a time out (with permission from the teacher) can help him to feel that he has control over a situation. 

3. Omar, armed with self-awareness and some self-management skills, can begin to make responsible decisions. He can consider the potential consequences of his actions (or inactions). One of the tools that can help Omar is by learning to pause and think about how his actions may impact both himself and others. Omar will need to develop problem-solving skills to make good decisions. A teacher or therapist can help by analyzing problems and devising solutions with Omar and selecting a beneficial action plan.  

4. Omar needs to develop appropriate and satisfying relationships with his peers and adults for optimum mental and emotional well-being. He will need to develop good communication skills, including being an active listener.  He will need to be able to resolve minor conflicts and realize his place in them. Omar will need to learn to work cooperatively with others without conflict and navigate stressful situations without being reactive. Topics that can be discussed include understanding others’ strengths and weaknesses (and different perspectives), compromise, boundaries and respecting personal space, and recognizing social cues. Role playing conversations will help to, at first, structure a script for him to draw from and to model appropriate responses.  
    
    

 5. Once Omar has a good footing in building and keeping relationships, he can broaden his perspective to encompass social awareness of those in his world that are not necessarily in his circle of friends. He will be able to recognize strengths in others, foster empathy for others and develop concern for his fellow man. This also includes an appreciation for cultural differences and tolerances for norms that are not your own. Here is where role playing conversations can be beneficial in helping Omar play out a variety of scenarios. Peer mediation programs may also be useful. A group “therapy” situation may also be beneficial to promote increased understanding of others’ viewpoints and perspectives and model conflict resolution. 

I was with Omar, both in one-on-one interaction and observation in the classroom, while I evaluated him for special education determination. I do not have permission to see Omar in sessions (which is not part of the expectation of my job, which is exclusively testing). However, I met with his teachers and shared this information with them.    

Even given my brief interaction with students, I can apply these principles in relationship building. It helps that I start out with a comprehensive knowledge of the student from reading prior reports and talking extensively with teachers and parents. Within the context of my evaluation, I have ample time for small talk, active listening, and talking through subjects as they arise. While I do not have permission to see Omar in formal sessions, I can check in with him sometimes, which will help him see that someone is interested enough to care how he is doing. This alone might increase his trust in adults, or me specifically, and he may seek me out for casual advice. 

Kendall transferred out recently, but these ideas can be transferred to other first grade level children. 

          Self Awareness interventions 

1. Show and tell can help Kendall learn about herself in an interactive setting 

2. Feelings chart with different faces to help them pinpoint how she may be feeling when she doesn’t have the words to express herself 

3. Guided questioning asking which areas is she strong in, what areas does she find hard, her favorite thing about school, etc. 

Self Management Interventions 

Kendall needs to be able to control her impulses and develop self regulation skills. 

1. Providing a calming area, away from excess stimulation, can help her calm down and focus.   Small breaks during activities and assignments can also help to foster self control by giving her time to recoup. 

        2.  Discussing with Kendall the impact of her choices and how she can achieve a better outcome. 

         3. Giving Kendall choices, within reason, can help increase her sense of control and give practice in making the best choice. 

Responsible Decision Making Interventions 

• Encourage critical thinking by asking Kendall open-ended questions and encouraging them to think about her choices. 

• Model good decision-making and explain the reasoning to her. 

• Teach problem-solving skills in an age appropriate way. 

Relationship Skills and Social Awareness skills Interventions 

• Either one-on-one counseling or group social skills training can help her develop skills she will need to interact successfully with her peers and teachers. Discussing subjects such as how to greet someone new, or how to listen to someone talk, or the importance of taking turns can be beneficial. 

• Engaging Kendall in cooperative learning tasks under guided direction can promote teamwork, communication and problem solving skills.  

• Role playing and problem solving scenarios can help her develop empathy, perspective taking, and conflict resolution skills. 

*Study and Understand the Situation 

*Identify the values presented on all sides 

*Identify the Ethical Dilemma 

*Identify the Values that Influence your decision 

*Communicate effectively and respectfully and be able to defend your position using facts and resources 

The article highlights the Ethical Decision Making Method which puts forward that instruction in ethics can and should be taught at the late elementary, middle school and high school grades to develop critical thinking skills and lead to increases in empathy, self awareness and appreciation of the viewpoints of others. 

Rather than simply being taught ethical guidelines, students must internalize critical thinking skills for moral decision making while aligning with their own underlying values and moral compass.  

Critical decision making is crucial for effectively navigating adulthood (and adolescence) as we encounter moral dilemmas many times over in our lives. Ethics are also an important consideration in many disciplines. 

While elementary (5^th grade) and middle school students use case studies to apply the framework, high school students are more independent in their investigation of tough ethical dilemmas. Once the individual work is done the students are paired with others of conflicting views to write a case study together (which encourages collaboration skills).  

I can understand how this course of study can improve reasoning and critical thinking skills as well as foster empathy and hopefully, compassion. This process can also lead to growth in self awareness, relationship skills, social awareness, and personal growth. It can equip students with essential life skills and contributes to their overall development and understanding of complex ethical issues.  

That this critical thinking training is left out of the curriculum in schools ignores one of the most important opportunities in education. Which is to teach students to think critically and make appropriate decisions for themselves. A skill that will have far reaching impact on their adult years beyond memorizing, say, dates from history.  

I agree with the premise, BUT I think training should begin before the fifth grade, at an age appropriate level. It is never too early to try to install a moral compass. 

Teachers can plan activities that spotlight ethical dilemmas and encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information.