Character Building: Blind Pole Vaulter Flies Fearlessly

Today we read an article about a blind pole vaulter named Charlotte Brown.  After, we watched this excellent video from ESPN.

I Am Malala

After viewing this interview, answer the following questions in your Character Building notebook and discuss together:
1) Which "character" words, or values describe Malala best?
2) If someone asked you, "Who is Malala Yousafzai?" In 3 sentences, summarize Malala's story.
3) What is Malala's passion? What would she fill in the blank, "____________ just isn't right" ?
4) What can you learn from Malala's example?

Word of the Week: Perseverance

On Monday, watched this clip from the movie "Facing the Giants".  Students were asked to use one "character" word to describe the scene.  Words like determination, effort, tenacity and perseverance surfaced from our conversation.  As a teacher, I was also reminded of the importance and impact of encouragement.  Students, please include your chosen quote in the comments!  Let's collect quotes that inspire us towards greater determination!

Building Character: No Excuses

This morning we watched the inspiring story of Isaiah Austin, starting center for the Baylor Bears Basketball Team.  This week we are thinking about what his Mom told him: "You can either make an excuse, or you can make it your story".  See how Isaiah responded to the challenge here.

Value of the Week: GRATITUDE

This week we are making a special effort to practice gratitude.  Our quote of the week is:

"Don't let what you don't have make you forget what you do have.  Gratitude turns what we have into enough".

This could make for some good discussion at home over the dinner table!  We are also practicing gratitude by writing daily "thank you" notes, inspired by author and blogger, Leah Dietrich. We are filling up your window with thankfulness. Here are some samples from yesterday that you might enjoy:

Devotion

This week, we are talking about devotion. Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-son team, are an amazing example of this value.

Building Character: COURAGE

Our value of the week is COURAGE.

"Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow".
-Mary Anne Radmacher

We viewed and discussed the example of Bethany Hamilton, a young girl who lost her arm when she was attacked by a shark while surfing.  Bethany has "roaring" courage, but also courage that allows her to get up each day and "try again".  No doubt, she is rising above the challenges in her life.

Respond to the following by leaving a comment below.  Your response should be a minimum of 2 sentences.  Just sign in as "Anonymous" but make sure to leave your first name at the end of your comment.

Share about a time in your life when you showed courage, or when you saw courage in the life of someone else.  How did courage help you, or another person, overcome a challenge?