Character and Leadership Packet #11 Standing Up for What is Right Introduction There are many ways you can make your life better. For example, you can keep your teeth healthy by brushing, flossing and getting check-ups. Exercising and eating right can help keep your body healthy. You can even improve your mind if you re willing to study more. Studying can improve your grades too. And being polite to your classmates can make it easier to get along. These are just a few examples of how you can help yourself. There are also steps you can take to make school a better experience for you and for others. Standing up for what is right is one of these steps. What does it mean to stand up for what is right? Sometimes it means going against what others are saying or doing. If a person says to you that they think Eva has big ears. You can agree and even make things worse by saying, Right, she has huge ears, lets call her Elephant Ears Eva. You can say nothing and walk away. Or you can say, Don t we all have something about us that isn t perfect. Eva does have pretty eyes, have you noticed? Agreeing with something negative may encourage more hurtful comments. Maybe you ll be insulted next. If you disagree or walk away you stand up for what is right. After all, it s not right to belittle someone, just as it isn t right to encourage a bully.
Why Students Should Stand Up for What s Right School is a place where everyone comes together to learn. Teachers try to help all students do their best. They teach students science, how to read, spell and do math. They also teach students about honesty and fairness. Teachers want everyone to get along. They know that when everyone cooperates more gets done. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to get along or do what is right. Some students take the easy way out and cheat on a test. Others take things that don t belong to them. Still others are bullies. Teachers have a big job trying to help students make the right choices. Students who want to do what is right and are willing to stand up for what is right make a teacher s job easier. To make school a good place for learning all students must do their part. Keeping dishonesty, bullying, bad language, disrespect and other problems out of school is everyone s job. Two Short Stories Needles on the Bus Mr. Keller is a safe bus driver and well liked by students. As students board his bus he smiles and says hello. He knows everyone by name. He especially knows Aiden. Aiden likes attention. Mr. Keller has already talked to him about staying in his seat and not yelling while the bus was moving. Everyone on the bus is getting tired of Aiden s constant need for attention. They wish he would sit down in his seat and act normal. Aiden moves around on the bus talking to as many students as he can. He always has something to show off. One day he brought a frog in a shoebox. Some students laughed while others got scared and screamed. Aiden loved surprising everyone on the bus. When he got a new ipad he couldn t wait to show it to everyone on the bus. He showed how you could play games on it. He wanted everyone to see all the Apps he already had. Soon no one was impressed. Like the frog they got tired of Aiden trying to be the center of attention. So they just ignored him. This only made Aiden try harder. Aiden s mom was a diabetic and needed shots daily to keep her body working right. One day as Aiden was trying to think of ways to be noticed he saw a plastic container with needles (syringes) in it next to the kitchen sink. Since his mom had many syringes in the house he decided to take one and show it off the next day on the bus. He carefully put the needle in his backpack and took it with him to the bus. About half way to school he brought the needle out to show his friend Brent. Brent said, Awesome, where did
you get this? Aiden replied, I got it from home, isn t it cool? It is cool but you shouldn t be carrying it around with you, someone could get stuck, said Brent. Don t worry nothing will happen, said Aiden. Maggie and Riley, who were sitting behind the two boys, heard what was said. As the girls got off the bus they talked about what to do. Should they mind their own business and say nothing or should they tell a teacher or the principal? Big Bad Brad Brad is a head taller and weighs 30 pounds more than anyone in his class. If he liked sports he could be a star on the football team. Instead Brad liked to play another game, he calls it, being the boss. Brad s a bully. If he forgets something to write with he goes up to other students and demands they give him their pencil or pen. If he forgets his calculator he just grabs one out of someone s hand. No one dare says a word because everyone is afraid of Brad. If he isn t given what he wants he just takes it. If someone says no and moves away he catches up with them after school. He pushes and shoves them until they say they are sorry for not giving him what he wanted. Brad is no one to mess around with. He is feared. One rainy afternoon as Mia and Emma were waiting in line to board the after school bus Brad came running up behind them. He grabbed their umbrella. As he ran off he said, Hey girls, thanks for the umbrella, I don t want my new watch to get wet. I ll give it back tomorrow, maybe! Mia and Emma didn t say anything. They were caught by surprise. They decided not to mention what had happened to anyone. They were just hoping that Brad would give back their umbrella in the morning and never bother them again. The next morning they saw Brad going to his locker. Unfortunately there was no umbrella. Brad simply starred at them. Mia and Emma walked the other way. Before class had started Emma and Mia heard Brad tell Terry, a new student, that he forgot his pencil and wanted his. Terry looked scared. He handed Brad his pencil. If you were Mia and Emma what would you do? Should you warn Terry about Brad? Should you ask Terry to join both of you to talk with your teacher or the principal? Or should you forget
the whole thing and hope that Brad doesn t bother anyone again? Some Things School Leaders Do A school leader will welcome a new student to school when no one else has bothered. A school leader will sit next to a student at lunch when no one else will. A school leader stands-up for someone who is being bullied. A school leader helps others to see the need to do what is right. A school leader refuses to go along with a decision that will hurt others. A school leader won t listen to rumors or repeat them. A school leader will act without a teacher telling them what is right. Why Leadership is Important to You and Your School Student leadership is important to your school because it makes for a better school. Student leaders help get things done. They serve as a patrol or teacher s aide. They may be a buddy to someone who needs help in a lower grade. They pick up paper in the hall to keep their school clean. They return a calculator someone has left on a desk. They report to their teacher when someone is in danger. They are friendly to school visitors. They run for student council. They show respect for everyone. They find good qualities in other people. They also stand strong when others are doing the wrong things. They don t go along with the crowd. Many times they can persuade others to change their minds about doing what is wrong. Teachers can t be everywhere to make sure what is being said or done is right. They count on the help from students to be good role models. But teachers never expect a school leader to place him or herself in danger or to take corrective actions with another student. This is the job of a teacher or principal. What It Takes To Be A Student Leader When you lead you move things in the right direction, even if others have already chosen a different direction. Leaders try their best not to let others take a path that can be harmful or hurtful. Leaders step up to do what is right. Many people in your school know the right thing to do but it takes self-confidence to step up and try to make a difference.
Leaders can run into resistance. When trying to do the right thing others may disapprove. For example, if a leader doesn t go along with a bad idea others may get mad. They may say mean things about the person who refuses to do something hurtful or harmful. Being a leader is not easy. You might have step up and say, I don t like the way you are treating Rita. You also have to be willing to have others disapprove of you or your ideas. But most of all you need courage to stand up for what you believe is right. Some students give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked or fit in. They worry that other students might make fun of them if they don t go along with the group. The idea that everyone s doing it can influence some students to leave their better judgment behind. They may know it s wrong to use their cell phone in school but do it because their friends use theirs. It can help to have a friend, who is willing to say no, too. This makes it much easier to resist bad ideas. It s great to have friends with values similar to yours and who will be supportive when you don t want to do something. Famous Quotes One does evil enough when one does nothing good. -- German Proverb There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience. -- French Proverb Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. -- William Penn Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong. -- Abraham Lincoln You Can Be A Leader Everyone can lead in some way. You can be the first to clear your desk off when the teacher asks the class to put their books away. Maybe you can volunteer to help your teacher water the plants on the window, or help your teacher unpack some boxes. Leaders are considerate. They can recognize when someone needs a hand. When a friend is sad you can lend an ear. By listening you can make them feel better. You don t have to tell them what to do; you just need to be there for them when they want to talk. Leaders may show disapproval of something by being silent and not going along with a bad idea. This may inspire others not to go along with a bad idea as well.
Leaders are often thought of as role models. They inspire others to do what is right. They do this by setting a good example. Leaders don t need others to remind them to get on the right path. They are already on it. Are you a good example to other students? Are you on the right path? If you can answer yes to these questions you re probably a leader.
Standing Up for What is Right Questions for Individual Students Name Date These questions are based on the packet you have just read. Please think about what you have read and write thoughtful answers. There are no right or wrong answers to most questions. The questions are written to encourage you to think about the importance of character and leadership. Make sure you write clearly so your teacher can read your answers. 1. Why should students stand up for what is right? 2. Describe what your school would be like if no one stood up for what is right. 3. What does standing up for what is right mean to you? Have you ever had to say, No, please don t do that, when others are doing the wrong thing? 4. How can you make school a better experience for you and everyone else?
5. What might you say to a person who is making fun of a classmate? 6. Why is it everyone s job to keep dishonesty, bullying, bad language and disrespect out of school? 7. What does it take to be a student leader? 8. In what ways are you a school leader? If you don t see yourself as a school leader what can you do to become one? 9. What should Brent do about what Aiden showed him? 10. Why are leaders often thought of as role models? Explain.
Standing Up for What is Right Questions for Classroom Discussion These questions are designed to provoke discussion and encourage students to see the value of character and leadership. Teachers are invited to modify, add or delete questions at their discretion. The Internet can be a resource for additional material on this topic. 1. What does it mean to stand up for what is right? 2. Why do you think Aiden was acting the way he was on the school bus? 3. What should Maggie and Riley do about what they heard Aiden and Brent talking about? 4. Why do you think Brad was a bully? 5. What causes some people to act like bullies? 6. What did Brad do to Mia and Emma? Why? 7. If you were Mia or Emma would you warn Terry about Brad? Would you ask Terry to go with you to the principal s office? Or should you do nothing? Explain. 8. Name four things that a school leader might do to make school a better experience for all. 9. Why does peer pressure sometimes make it hard to be a school leader? 10. Why would Mr. Keller be concerned about Aiden? 11. Why do you think people give in to peer pressure? 12. How do leaders influence their peers to do what is right? 13. Would it be easy or hard to be a school leader? Why? 14. What can be done to get more students to stand up for what is right? 15. Why can everyone be a leader in some way?