Robert Waters School, Union City, NJ: Creating a Culture of Character and Achievement

Robert Waters School in Union City, New Jersey is to be commended for their dedication to character, achievement and community building. By launching the new school year with a professional development day on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, the school expressed its leadership to addressing these critical educational concerns.

As the keynote speaker, I presented a program titled Creating a Culture of Character and Achievement: Conflict Resolution, Motivating and Community Building to over 100 educators. It was followed by a lively exchange of staff break out sessions and presentations by group leaders with the goal of making Robert Waters School an exceptional educational experience for the new school year.

The keynote affirmed the essential role of educators in touching the hearts of the youth entrusted to their care by their example of character, loving kindness, respect, compassion, courtesy, patriotism, empathy, thoughtfulness, diversity and dedication to community partnerships. Some highlights of the keynote included:

• Online Social Networking
• Bullying/Cyberbullying
• Gangs/Guns/Drugs/Violence
• Eleven Principles of Character Education
• Crisis of Character
• Culture of Violence
• Sexting/Text Rage
• Diversity
• Anger Management Principles for Students
• Altruism: Essential for the School Community
• Rachel's Challenge
• Patriotism: Critical to the School Culture
• Shattered Families/Filling the Void
• Early Warning Signs and Timely Collaborative Response
• Building Better Staff/Parent/Community Connections
• Preventive Education Transformation through Character

As with all of my school presentations, the goal was to empower educators to use their own example, especially the virtue of loving kindness as well as all community resources to serve the youth and their families entrusted to their care. Perhaps my closing words crystallize the importance of the role educators have in transforming the classroom, school, community and even the nation:

"Michelangelo and Da Vinci created the statue of David and Mona Lisa, respectively. Through Picasso's Guernica, individuals can see the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war. Van Gogh's paintings have captivated and given millions serenity, comfort and inspiration. But above and beyond the mastery of all of the world's greatest artists, only a teacher can mold the heart of a child."