Character

Teaching methods vary from school to school and from teacher to teacher.

In Assignment:Education.. we're going to show you a new and unusual approach to teaching a required Elementary school course. It's a story about some teachers who have less experience in a traditional classroom than the students they're teaching.

--((Children singing:))-" It's better to give than receive. Give! Give!"--

This song aimed at teaching generosity is part of a character development class for Second, Third and Fourth graders at Dover Elementary School. The method of using song, video and skits for teaching this guidance class is entertaining, but what's really unusual is who's doing the teaching.

--((Teen teacher says:)) "I'll tell you what you guys, it's fun being generous. That's why we need to learn."--

Eight teenagers: many of whom never attended a day of public school themselves.
Dover Elementary Guidance Counselor Ellen Trimpert recruited the homeschooled teens to come in once a week and take over the important task of teaching character development.

--((Ellen Trimpert says:)) "The children love it. They remember these things. I talk to some of them on the sidewalk and they start doing the 'I wills' and start telling me one of the things they need to be doing to be attentive, honest or whatever."---

The "I will" lessons are supplied by a scholastic company in Oklahoma and focus on five basic character qualities: generosity, truthfulness, gratefullness, obedience, and attentiveness. And the young people delivering these messages believe they are getting as much out of the program as their students.

--(Homeschooled teen Christina Franklin says:)) "I really enjoy watching the childrens' faces, understandng concepts, watching them being attentive and obedient. It's feeling that I'm doing something to help them."---

Another homeschooler.. Tim Doozan.. admits at first he was reluctant to join the troupe.

--((Tim Doozan says:)) "But now after I've been doing it. I mean it's the greatest thing. I really enjoy it. Just seeing the kids and what they get out of it.. it just means a lot o me personally."---

The Dover Elementary character development team has hopes of adding more schools to its list of places to teach character development.

This article was brought to you
straight from the desk of

in the Newsroom of