Cultivating Character in our Boys

 

When was the last time you showed perseverance? How do you demonstrate kindness in your everyday life? In what ways are you a leader? For adults, identifying the many ways we show character in our daily lives is something we don’t often think about given our busy lives. Yet, for our adults-in-training at Sterling Hall, reflecting on character and cultivating it are very important elements in the learning journey.

Students at SHS learn very early on, beginning in the Primary grades, how to identify different elements of character using the VIA Character Strengths Program (www.viacharacter.org). They are encouraged to think about when they have shown character and are asked to consider and select character traits they would like to work on. You will see the boys reflect on the VIA traits in their e-portfolio entries, on an assessment or during athletic practice. Our teachers are continually encouraging this reflection and promoting these strengths as they see them in the boys.

 

 

Character is an element we focus on so directly that we map it through the curriculum at every level, just like any other subject from math to science to music. Identifying the 24 VIA Character Strengths, the basis for our program starts in the Primary Division. With our Junior boys, we continue the process of identifying and self-assessing when it comes to character, not only in class but in clubs, athletics, and leadership opportunities. By the time our boys reach the Intermediate grades, students are assessing and taking pride in their own key character strengths, choosing leadership positions that stretch their character-building. Opportunities are endless, from leadership teams to service learning initiatives, from student coaches to reading buddies, from Grade 8 leadership teams to experiential learning programming like the time-honoured Temagami trip. 

SHS faculty and staff continuously embrace fresh perspectives on character education. They pinpoint existing character elements within the curriculum, emphasizing Civic, Moral, and Performance Character – classifications of character frequently emphasized by Principal Parsons. Performance Character looks to the effort, diligence and tenacity that a boy shows. Moral Character is reflected in his empathy, kindness and social intelligence. Civic Character is his ability to look beyond himself and his interests to the greater good of his community. We are not only looking for ways to incorporate each into lesson planning and activities, but to name these aspects in the work we already do.

 

 

Character is all around us at SHS, and deliberately so. Some of our programming is more overt, like the Sterling Stars for younger boys, Student Ambassadors for Junior boys and specific leadership roles for Intermediate students. Other aspects of our programming are more regularly demonstrated for parents, like the self-reflection on report cards. Additionally, having character at our core not only enables our students to acknowledge and value it, it encourages them to cultivate character, much the same way one would regularly train a muscle. Students become so familiar with identifying character and embracing it, that the next time a boy sees a classmate struggling with his shoes, he won't just move past him. Instead, he views this as an opportunity to extend a helping hand, understanding that it's a chance for his character to shine brightly.