Develop a personal statement and action plan for the conclusions you have come to as a result of
reading the course text (Seider, 2012). There are two parts to this assignment.
Part 1: Professional Philosophy of Character Education
Reflecting on the various components of character education, identify the area of emphasis you
personally believe is most important to you as an educator
Write a 2-page reflective paper that articulates your stance toward character in your professional life.
Part 2: Action Plan
Based on the idea(s) you identified in part 1 of this assignment, identify two steps you plan to take as a
result of this philosophy. You can choose to focus on your role in the classroom, other educational
settings or relationships, or your roles as a leader in other work organizations or a family context.
Write a 2-page description of your intended actions and the outcomes you hope will result from these
actions.
Support your statements with evidence from the Required Studies and your research. Cite and reference
your
CHARACTER COMPASS- WHERE DOES YOURS POINT?-WEEK 3 2
Character in Professional life
The character in the professional life is what makes the extraordinary to stand out from
the commonplace. It is what makes eagles stand out from the “chickens”. It is what makes men
and women leave their mark in the annals of history. Ability without character is the recipe for
failure in the workplace (Nelson, 2013). The following presentation gives my stance on my
principles governing my character. FOUNDATION is the acronym I use to identify my
principles as will be shown in the presentation.
The letter F stands for my principle that touches on my faith in God and faith in the
goodness of other people. My faith in God gives me the fortitude to face challenges that occur in
the workplace as an educator. I have the faith in the inherent goodness of all people, and in this
context that would be my fellow educators and the students I teach (Noah, 2013).
The letter O stands for the value I see in other people in shaping my character. I believe
the people who surround me can have an impact on my character, positively and negatively.
The letter U stands for the understanding and accommodation I extend to other people,
knowing that there will be better or lesser people in character than me. It also involves
understanding my students individually and knowing their strengths and their weaknesses. My
responses will then be decided on this understanding.
The letter N stands for my belief in nourishing other people holistically so that they can
realize their full potentials in life. As I nourish my students to unlock their talents and gifts, I find
great fulfillment (Noah, 2013).
The letter D stands for the direction I purpose to taken in life, in the workplace and
privately. My professional compass direction is closely interlinked with my personal moral
CHARACTER COMPASS- WHERE DOES YOURS POINT?-WEEK 3 3
compass to move me forward on firm ground. As I move forward in my career advancement
path, the success of my students is also important to me.
The letter A stands for availability both to my students, on- campus and off-campus. I try
to be available to my students after class hours for any extra help and off-campus in case they
need emotional support. I must also be available for faculty meetings and general school
meetings.
The letter T stands for my management of time as it is one commodity that cannot be
recovered once it has been wasted. Poor time management to me represents slothfulness and is
an indicator of mediocrity in life. I must appropriate time meaningfully each day and audit the
quality of time I spend with my students.
The letter I represent one strong pillar of my principles which is integrity. I must hold
myself with integrity in my relationships with both students and fellow educators. Knowing the
boundaries that should not to be crossed, reins in any negative proclivities that I may be tempted
to engage in. I have been entrusted with forging integrity as a value into my students (Monroe,
2014).
The letter O stands for observance and being keen to study situations I may find me in.
How to behave in the company of students will be determined by noting the mood in the class
and gauging their collective state of mind.
The last letter O stands for numbers, and I set myself a standard to expand the number of
people I can build new relationships with. Every month I get to build a deeper relationship with
my students beyond the classroom setting.
Action Plan
CHARACTER COMPASS- WHERE DOES YOURS POINT?-WEEK 3 4
The action plan I will implement focuses on the two values of responsibility and respect,
which must be done within a period of twenty- one days. It takes twenty-one days to break old
habits and form new ones (Swanton, 2015). By the end of this time, an evaluation of the success
of my plan will be assessed.
Responsibility: The value of responsibility will be drilled into my students with personal
responsibility within the class, campus-wide and off-campus. The students have to start with the
responsibility of proper grooming in the attire they put on. Female students will be required to
dress appropriately, without unnecessary exposure of their bodies. The male students will be held
accountable to be more formal in dressing and avoid ‘sagging’ their trousers. Each student will
be responsible for undertaking a proper study of any assignment given and actually do the
homework and hand it in on time. Each student will be held accountable for twenty- one days to
hand in plagiarism free work. Each student will be held accountable and collectively in class to
maintain silence during class hours. Within the campus, each student will be responsible for
maintaining peace and avoid any scuffles or fighting within the campus. Each student must avoid
to the best of their ability any punitive measures such as detention after class. Responsible use of
all school resources from the ablution blocks to the library will be encouraged. The use of any
school resources must be done with an attitude of responsibility. This will extend outside of the
campus with each student expected to involve themselves with an activity that will benefit the
community and writing a diary of their experiences. At the end of the twenty- one day, each
student will share their experiences (Seider, 2012).
Respect: I intend to inculcate into my students the value of respect I daily life. This will
involve the aspects of respect in the class, out of the class, within campus and off-campus.
Students must begin by showing respect to each other, more so to female students. Derogatory
CHARACTER COMPASS- WHERE DOES YOURS POINT?-WEEK 3 5
language within the class will be prohibited. A class ‘moral’ prefect will be appointed who will
note down students breaking this rule. Students who continually break this rule will be forced to
put on a tag with the words “Help me to learn to respect you”, within the class. The students will
have to stand up when a teacher enters the classroom as a sign of respect. While addressing
seniors, the use of formal language (“Sir” and “Madam”), will be encouraged. Every student will
be required to respect the personal property of the other students and their personal space.
Respect will be expected even in “cyberspace” in the use of social media. At home, the same
value will be encouraged in their interactions with family members and the neighbours (Seider,
2012).
At the end of the twenty- one days, the students will share their personal experiences and
what they have learned. They will identify the areas they faced the greatest challenges in
adapting and how they intend to overcome them. Students who show the least change and need
intervention will be paired up with the students with the best- performing students.
CHARACTER COMPASS- WHERE DOES YOURS POINT?-WEEK 3 6
References
Munroe, M. (2014). The power of character in leadership. New York: Routledge.
Nelson, D. L., & Quick, J. (2013). Organizational Behavior: Science, the real world, and you.
ason, OH, USA: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Noah, St, J. (2013). The book of affirmations: Discovering the missing piece to abundant health,
wealth, love, and happiness. New York: SAGE.
Scott, Seider (2012). Character Compass: How Powerful School Culture Can Point Students
Toward Success. 43270th Edition.
Swanton, C. (2015). The virtue ethics of Hume and Nietzsche. New York: Routledge.
