(updated 12/4/13) Almost 4,500 educators (including 2426 teachers, 616 principals, 411 school counselors, 225 superintendents, and 79 school board members) have already taken the new Josephson Institute survey on the state of education in America. (If you haven’t already, please take the survey here and please share this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JIEducatorSurvey on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere to encourage others to take it as well — the …
Greatest Quotes on Character, Reputation and Character Education
— The most comprehensive (nearly 300 quotations) yet selective collection of insightful quotations on CHARACTER, REPUTATION &
MEMO From Michael: Happy CHARACTER COUNTS! Week!
I am in Washington, D.C., looking out my hotel window at the Washington Monument, which is undergoing renovation and shrouded in scaffolding. I’m here for a meeting of the Josephson Institute’s Board of Governors. Two important things happened in Congress last night. Of course you know that both the Senate and House finally approved a budget (for a few months) …
What Do Educators Think About Education in America? (Preliminary Report #2 on our Survey Results)
Summary. We surveyed more than 2,500 educators (board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors and support staff) and asked them to give their opinions on the trends in education in the past five years. (Are you an educator? Please take the survey here if you haven’t already.) Here are some of the survey results so far. What’s Going Well. Majority of educators believe …
MEMO From Michael: How Are We Going to Get Out of This Mess?
I am finding myself out of patience. I have listened to mostly sincere (to the point of self-righteous) politicians and partisan pundits excoriate the people they disagree with. They evade uncomfortable questions and explain why they are taking positions that may be based on principle but have become little more than tactical maneuvering. The focus is on who should get the …
MEMO From Michael: Sneak Peek – Some Surprising Preliminary Results of Our Educators’ Survey
(Updated 11/26/13) Nearly 4500 educators (76 Board members, 225 superintendents, 616 principals, 2414 teachers and 406 school counselors) have already taken the new Josephson Institute survey on the state of education in America. (If you haven’t already, please take the survey here and please share this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JIEducatorSurvey on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere to encourage others to take it as well — …
MEMO From Michael: Violence and Mass Killings: Our New Reality?
What a sad irony that right after re-living the tragedies of the 9/11 terrorist attacks we are confronted with another senseless mass shooting, resulting in 12 deaths and eight injuries at the Washington Navy Yard. And while we are digesting that, 13 people were shot in a Chicago, apparently the result of a random shooting by a roving gang. Do …
MEMO From Michael: 9/11, Colombia, New Survey on Education
Thoughts on September 11 Re-experiencing the 9/11 attacks is always a traumatic experience for me. I’ve posted several videos I think you will find worth your time. One cannot think about this shocking proof of our vulnerability without some anxiety and deep sorrow for the loss of life and of our innocent naiveté about our safety. Two images are etched …
NEW SURVEY: The State of Education in America
The Josephson Institute has just launched a new comprehensive survey for educators (school board members, superintendents, principals and other administrators, teachers and school staff) and parents of children in school. It is designed to be one of the most comprehensive and influential studies of the trends, opinions and actions of administrators, teachers, students and parents. We hope to have at …
COMMENTARY: Making the Best of Family Relationships
For most of us, there’s something both wonderful and worrisome about large family gatherings. On the good side, we often can experience real pleasure in spending time with relatives with whom we have so many common memories. What’s more, being with parents, siblings, and cousins who have known us since childhood often helps us see ourselves
MEMO From Michael: Bound for Bogota — and Medellin!
As mentioned in last week’s updates, I’ll be in Colombia next week. I will post dispatches on the What Will Matter Facebook page, so be sure to Like that page so you can stay in the loop. Much of this week has been spent collaborating with Dr. Gary Smit, the de facto dean of our national CHARACTER COUNTS! training faculty, and two of …
Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate. The quest of an honest parent: Strive to be the person you hope your children think you are.
There’s no doubt that our character has a profound effect on our future. What we must remember, however, is not merely how powerful character is in influencing our destiny, but how powerful we are in shaping our own character and, therefore, our own destiny. Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate. It’s a common mistake …
OBSERVATION: Ignorant people can be both wise and kind and they are worthy of respect for the qualities they have, not contempt for those they lack.
I was surprised how many people responded to the posting on my What Will Matter Facebook page. It was a picture and quote from Aibileen Clark, a black maid in the movie The Help: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” I added this line: “Grammar doesn’t matter nearly as much as the sentiment – one that every parent and …
POSTER & QUOTE: What you allow, you encourage.
There are no limits unless you set them and if there are no limits, there’s no respect. This is a lesson every parent, teacher and boss ought to learn. — Michael Josephson
“You is Kind. You is Smart. You is Important.”
Grammar doesn’t matter nearly as much as the sentiment – one that every parent and every teacher should express to every child. Xanax online https://www.rpspharmacy.com/product/xanax/ “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” – Aibileen Clark (from The Help) Buy Levitra 20 mg
HOW TO BE A GREAT SON OR DAUGHTER
What kind of son or daughter are you? Are you as good as you could be or should be? Here’s a guide on how to get in the Hall of Fame. Father’s Day is set aside to honor dads, at least those worthy of being honored. But how often do you think about how well you did or are doing …
To Fathers – Good and Bad. Which are you? What do you wish you could do or say differently? Is it too late?
Let’s face it, even when viewed through the most generous lens, not all fathers have done or are doing the most important job of their lives well. What kind of dad have you been? if you are one of the good guys who can honestly say you have done your best, that you have truly loved, supported, encouraged and nurtured …
OBSERVATION: If Your Dad is Gone.
If your dad is gone, what do you wish you could say to him that you didn’t? I hope you have warm sentiments to share and the thought of your father evokes genuine gratitude and sadness that he’s gone, but be honest. Not all dads were great. Even through
OBSERVATION: What if You Had a Bad Dad?
Some dad’s are/were genuinely great – worthy of praise and gratitude. Others were or are outright jerks or villains. Most fall somewhere between these extremes. How well you did in the dad lottery is something you had no influence on. If you got a good one, enjoy your good fortune and be grateful. If your father falls short
QUOTE & POSTER: Happy Father’s Day
One of the greatest things about daughters is how they adored you when they were little; how they rushed into your arms with electric delight and demanded that you watch everything they do and listen to everything they say. Those memories will help you through less joyous times when their adoration is replaced by embarrassment or annoyance and they don’t …