One the great things about Aspen View Academy is our focus on character education. We do not simply focus on academics, but on the development of each child into a productive and well-rounded young adult.
As the adult role models, staff, teachers, and parents play key roles in the character education of all our young people.
Modeling
Every year the AVA staff discusses a fundamental idea: “Everything we do teaches our students something.” They do not just learn from our formal lessons. They learn from every one of our choices and behaviors. Our children are always watching. How do we react when things do not go our way? How do we respond when we get cut off by another driver in traffic? Do we persevere when frustrated, or do we give up easily? How do we speak to our students when they make poor choices (either once or repeatedly)? In these moments we can teach our children to be short-tempered, defeated, and reactionary, or we can teach them to have patience, fortitude, and grace. It’s no easy task, but each of us regularly plays the role of teacher just by being around our students. Every day is full of opportunities to give them lessons on how to be a high-quality adult.
Intention
No doubt, this kind of modeling requires us to be intentional in our actions. This degree of attention to our own behavior can also guide the conversations we have. When students make a mistake and are hard on themselves, we have a great opportunity to remind them that we all fall short at times, but that we can learn from it and improve. When we are confronted with a challenging situation and are tempted to respond badly, but we rise above that and choose patience or determination, we can stop and take the time to point this out to our children. These are teachable moments.
I am, as always, grateful to be a part of this community that values a strong sense of character. Working together as staff, teachers, and parents, we set a high bar for our students and provide them with a daily example of excellence.
