Character education introduces students to character traits and personal skills that empower them to be good citizens who are trustworthy, responsible, and caring. The character traits and personal skills reflect positive beliefs, attitudes, and mindsets; provide opportunities for self-reflection; and permit students to apply effective strategies to make decisions, solve problems, and behave responsibly.

The standards for positive character traits and personal skills are comprised of four strands: trustworthiness, responsibility, caring, and citizenship. Each strand consists of the following character traits and personal skills:

Trustworthiness: honesty, integrity, loyalty, punctuality, and reliability.

Responsibility: accountability, diligence, perseverance, self-control, and self-management.

Caring: interpersonal skills, including charity, compassion, consideration, cooperation, empathy, generosity, kindness, and patience.

Good citizenship: having concern for the common good and the community; having respect for authority, law, justice, and the rights of others; being free from prejudice; having gratitude and school pride; being courteous, fair, and patriotic; and making responsible decisions.

The following is a tentative plan for content delivery each month.

August: Introductions, Norm setting, Orientation to Elementary Counseling

September:  Respect

October:  Self-Discipline

November: Citizenship

December: Empathy

January: Determination

February: Friendship/Healthy Relationships

March:  Trustworthy

April:  Attitude

May:  Responsibility

Guidance lesson activities and discussions will cover a broad range of topics, which might include but are not limited to:

Bullying

Being a leader

Goal-setting

Problem solving

Conflict resolution

College and career readiness

Digital citizenship/cyberbullying

Diversity/acceptance