Citizenship

This month's Character Counts is Citizenship.

Citizenship can mean being a member of a country, community or even a group. When you are a member of something it means you also have a relationship to it. This means that your actions and behavior reflect the community as a whole. There are certain expectations that people must meet in order to become a good citizen.

A good citizen can be someone who:

•  cares about the feelings and rights of others
•  shows concern for the safety and well-being of others
•  stays informed about issues and voices their opinion
•  votes
•  conserves resources and follows the 3 Rs-- reduce, reuse and recycle
•  uses their skills to make a better community

Are you a citizen of a group or community?

What expectations must you meet in order to be a valued member of that community?


Did you know that over 200 years ago, during the Industrial Revolution, public school was used to create good citizens because good citizens equaled good workers.

The reason for it was to train a group of citizens who are disciplined and not like farmers. They were disciplined to work according to a certain schedule. They didn't come and go as they wish like they did when they were farmers. Then literacy and numeracy became part of that because these are very important skills in order to be a good worker in the factory.

Soon government and educators learned that just knowing how to read and write doesn't necessarily mean you know how to be a good citizen, so learning how to build character was added. They wanted workers to know about morals.

Today we aren't transforming farmers into factory workers but education still teaches you about being a good citizen.

*Parents and Students: The Character Assembly has been changed to Monday May 5th instead of April 30th due to schedule conflicts.