Guest Column: Courage

Courage by Gretchyn A. Carter, Greenacres Middle School

The definition of courage is bravery or the ability to do something that frightens one. To me, however, courage is so much more. To have courage is not always easy….

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Guest Column: Trustworthiness

Ten thousand times per year, our eyes meet those of others finding their lives in the hands of complete strangers: ours. The reason for their common predicament varies from claimed independence (adventuring in the absence of their human companions) to victimization (human abuse,…

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Guest Column: Diligence

To be consistent at anything in life, the characteristic of diligence must be present! To care and act as such, one must have diligence at a foundational level. This characteristic has multiple ways to describe its definition. The partial definition of the word as an “energetic effort” certainly stood out because of its close association with the word “care.”

To show or use diligence at a high level,…

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Fairness…how does one teach it?

How can we teach the concept of fairness to students? It’s hard for adults to understand sometimes, too. Michelle Hunt, an elementary school teacher, shared the following activity she did with her students.

“When I was student teaching in third grade,…

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Guest Column: Fairness

Fairness is an abstract quality that requires you to have an amalgamation of many other character traits, including taking responsibility for your own actions, being honest and sincere, portraying trustworthiness between you and your peers, and many more. To simplify this rather abstract concept,…

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Guest Column: Caring

Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For indeed, that’s all who ever have.” Margaret Mead

I was able to attend a celebration of Life for a great man that made an incredible impact on those around him….

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Guest Column: Citizenship

For me, citizenship means taking seriously our responsibility to make our country the best place it can be. There are many ways to practice citizenship: Following the speed limit, keeping your sidewalk free of snow in winter, noticing problems in your community and working to fix them….

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Guest Column: Responsibility

What do you think of when you hear the word “responsibility?” I hear my mother’s voice sternly questioning, “Who is responsible for this mess?” As badly as I wanted to blame my little brother, I knew it was my doing….

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Guest Column from the West Plains Chapter: Generosity

Volunteering has always been a passion of mine.  In the summer during some of my middle/high school years, I volunteered as a camp counselor at camp Na-Bor-Lee and was a leader at Vacation Bible School.  During the school year, I would go to the local nursing home and visit and play bingo with a woman who I had met in the time that my great grandfather was there….

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Guest Column: Generosity

My most poignant experiences with generosity have happened through mentorship. Amongst an eclectic network of mentors – comprised of childhood dance and art teachers, colleagues and college professors to family members, peers and fellow artists – I have discovered various facets of generosity;…

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