In Our Schools
By: Max Riley
Like the dates we associate with Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President Kennedy, Sept. 11, 2001, has taken its place in our country as one of those dates we will remember throughout our lives. Following those terrible events, the community expressed its support and concern for the children in Lawrence Township Public Schools in myriad ways. In addition, I have repeatedly been asked a question that is so indicative of the caring nature of our town: "What are our schools doing to combat the backlash against people of Middle-Eastern descent and others in our country?" It is a wonderful question, reflecting a high moral concern that makes me proud to be associated with this community. Here is my answer.
Educational programs that address such issues as tolerance for different peoples, appreciation of other cultures and peaceful conflict resolution come under many names. Some school systems refer to them as "moral education," others prefer "democratic education." In Lawrence, and many other systems, the term we use is "character education."
Character education begins early in Lawrence Township Public Schools. Supported by a combination of state and private grants, we began training for teachers several years ago in a variety of strategies for educating children about the skills and qualities people need to participate effectively in a democratic society. Beginning in our elementary schools, we use a nationally recognized program called Responsive Classroom.
This curriculum addresses the skills young children need to master to be successful in school and in life. The focus of the program includes building trust and respect, integrating academic and social skills, providing clear boundaries for behavior and teaching the skills of cooperation, empathy, responsibility and self-control. The overall objective is to teach children from the beginning of their school careers how to create an environment that is safe, and one where people feel valued and respected.
A central component of the program is the Morning Meeting. In the first few minutes of the school day, children come together to discuss shared expectations for behavior, to learn to express feelings and to celebrate the good things happening in their classroom and in their lives. When a crisis such as the one we just experienced occurs, Morning Meeting is a ready-made and familiar forum for children to receive guided assistance from teachers to cope with events creating powerful emotions such as anger, fear and apprehension.
At the intermediate and middle school levels, we build on these early experiences in character education. Children continue to develop the skills so essential to living in a civil and democratic society: tolerance of and appreciation for the differences in others, respect for all and alternatives to violence when we experience conflict. More complex concepts, such as unlawful discrimination, can be introduced as children reach an age when they can understand the subject.
This year, Principal Bill Buss and his staff will introduce a new character education component at Lawrence Intermediate School, Second Step. Building on the Morning Meeting, students learned at the elementary level, Second Step introduces more complex reasoning skills suitable for older children. The program also adds the component of "service learning." The essential elements of service learning combine the familiar concept of community service with a structured set of activities that call on students to apply what they are learning in class to benefit the community. Staff training in Second Step and service learning begins this fall, with classroom implementation scheduled for February. Readers can get detailed information about service learning from Assistant Principal Marilyn Katz and teacher Jane Fetter at LIS. These two educators have taken on the task of introducing service learning district-wide.
When students move on to Lawrence Middle School, we introduce the Kids Intervention with Kids program. Peer mediators students from Lawrence High School work with trained staff at the middle school to build younger teens’ skills of nonviolent conflict resolution and creating a civil society. In addition, teachers are provided regular training through the Mercer County Bar Association in a program called Kids Instructed in Tolerance through Education and Support. Briefly, it offers teachers help in preparing lessons that address issues such as combating bullying, promoting students’ self-assertiveness and related democracy-education skills.
Under the direction of our new principal, Nancy Pitcher, Lawrence Middle School will create the Parent Leadership Corps beginning this year. This program will provide parents with specific skills attuned to the needs kids develop in the early teen years. Among the topics addressed are talking with kids about drugs and alcohol, managing stress and building healthy relationships.
As young adults move into Lawrence High School they encounter a school environment infused with Principal Don Proffit’s Five Values. Special presentations, classroom discussions and school rituals focus repeatedly on responsibility, respect, honesty, fairness and compassion. Because students are accustomed to conversations about these values, and with being expected to wrestle with their application to a variety of situations, there are opportunities to address incidents such as those of Sept. 11 through these discussions. Further, when we see harassment (or worse) based on race, ethnicity and religion occurring in our society, the Five Values program offers a familiar starting point for teachers and administrators to help students grapple with appropriate responses to these events.
Character education is an important component of our educational program in Lawrence Township Public Schools. Parents and citizens interested in character education are invited to contact any Lawrence Township school principal for more information.
Max Riley, Ph.D., is the superintendent of Lawrence Township Public Schools.

