Integrity is, in my opinion, the most important life skill to teach. It is a theme that I weave into the classroom each and every day. What exactly is it, and how do you teach it? Read on!
Picture of the coveted Integrity 2i2 wristbands.
DEFINITION
One day in college I was asked by a professor to define integrity. As with many words, I knew what the word meant inside my head, but I was not able to articulate it very well. The best definition I could muster was âstrength.â As in, "The integrity of the bridge was compromised after the earthquake." The definition that was then bestowed upon me was âdoing the right thing when nobody is watching.â What a great kid-friendly definition!
IMPORTANCE
Integrity is a powerful word that needs respect. I have since started capitalizing the word, much as we capitalize the p in President. Integrity is the most important life skill because it is composed of many other powerful life skills â patience, honesty, responsibility, dependability, accountability, and caring, to name a few. Because of the all encompassing nature of the word, it has the ability to creep into many conversations in class.
HOW TO TEACH IT
First Week of School: First I teach the definition in much the same way I learned it. I ask students to define it. I give them the official definition. Then, I provide examples and non-examples. When your mom is outside and you take a moment to jump on all the beds in the house because you know she wonât catch you â that is not living with Integrity. When you pick up litter that blew out of your backpack onto the playground â that's Integrity.
First Month of School: Writing â In preparation for our October standardized testing, I have the students write an essay or story to illustrate that they understand the definition of Integrity.
I like to use this powerful short commercial from The Foundation for a Better Life to inspire some good writing about Integrity. (We also make our own FBL-like commercials which I will blog about in February. Here is a 2 minute sample of our videos.)
Second Month of School: Reading â in every book we read, we will pick characters and rate their Integrity throughout the story. Also, we look for examples of Integrity when we discuss current events in our weekly classroom magazine.
Third Month of School: Random tests â I stage some tests to see how well my students are absorbing these lessons.
After each activity we hold a class discussion. Prompts I use:
REINFORCE
When students are living with Integrity, I am sure to label those moments. I have had silicon bands (100 for about $50) and woven bands (100 for about $150) customized with the word Integrity. When I see great acts of Integrity, I make a big deal about it. I tell the story of the situation and then award an Integrity band to the student in the story. Each student earns his or her Integrity band for a different reason. The Integrity band becomes a valuable possession in our classroom. Some students even cry when they earn them because they are so proud.
EXAMPLES OF LASTING EFFECTS
Jacob T., one of my most integrified students, wrote an Integrity story about âThe Golden Iâ as an end of the year present to his class. He incorporated every student into his story with examples of how they each live with Integrity. It is not coincidence that the I in the 2i2 logo is golden. Thanks, Jacob.
Some of my alumni have formed Integrity groups (The Integrity Boys, The Integrity Girls, The Integrity Brothers) that meet once a month. During these meetings we take the time to play some games, eat some pizza, and discuss Integrity issues going on in the middle school. See my future January post entitled "Sustained Rapport and Mentoring" to learn more about these amazing Integrity kids.
Brent
2i2 is a trademark of Mr. Vasicekâs classroom. It symbolizes pushing yourself to your potential while living with Integrity. Special thanks to the original integrity gang, Michael, Brendan, Brandon, Tyler, Tristen, Jacob, Anthony, Cameron, and Alex.
Integrity is, in my opinion, the most important life skill to teach. It is a theme that I weave into the classroom each and every day. What exactly is it, and how do you teach it? Read on!
Picture of the coveted Integrity 2i2 wristbands.
DEFINITION
One day in college I was asked by a professor to define integrity. As with many words, I knew what the word meant inside my head, but I was not able to articulate it very well. The best definition I could muster was âstrength.â As in, "The integrity of the bridge was compromised after the earthquake." The definition that was then bestowed upon me was âdoing the right thing when nobody is watching.â What a great kid-friendly definition!
IMPORTANCE
Integrity is a powerful word that needs respect. I have since started capitalizing the word, much as we capitalize the p in President. Integrity is the most important life skill because it is composed of many other powerful life skills â patience, honesty, responsibility, dependability, accountability, and caring, to name a few. Because of the all encompassing nature of the word, it has the ability to creep into many conversations in class.
HOW TO TEACH IT
First Week of School: First I teach the definition in much the same way I learned it. I ask students to define it. I give them the official definition. Then, I provide examples and non-examples. When your mom is outside and you take a moment to jump on all the beds in the house because you know she wonât catch you â that is not living with Integrity. When you pick up litter that blew out of your backpack onto the playground â that's Integrity.
First Month of School: Writing â In preparation for our October standardized testing, I have the students write an essay or story to illustrate that they understand the definition of Integrity.
I like to use this powerful short commercial from The Foundation for a Better Life to inspire some good writing about Integrity. (We also make our own FBL-like commercials which I will blog about in February. Here is a 2 minute sample of our videos.)
Second Month of School: Reading â in every book we read, we will pick characters and rate their Integrity throughout the story. Also, we look for examples of Integrity when we discuss current events in our weekly classroom magazine.
Third Month of School: Random tests â I stage some tests to see how well my students are absorbing these lessons.
After each activity we hold a class discussion. Prompts I use:
REINFORCE
When students are living with Integrity, I am sure to label those moments. I have had silicon bands (100 for about $50) and woven bands (100 for about $150) customized with the word Integrity. When I see great acts of Integrity, I make a big deal about it. I tell the story of the situation and then award an Integrity band to the student in the story. Each student earns his or her Integrity band for a different reason. The Integrity band becomes a valuable possession in our classroom. Some students even cry when they earn them because they are so proud.
EXAMPLES OF LASTING EFFECTS
Jacob T., one of my most integrified students, wrote an Integrity story about âThe Golden Iâ as an end of the year present to his class. He incorporated every student into his story with examples of how they each live with Integrity. It is not coincidence that the I in the 2i2 logo is golden. Thanks, Jacob.
Some of my alumni have formed Integrity groups (The Integrity Boys, The Integrity Girls, The Integrity Brothers) that meet once a month. During these meetings we take the time to play some games, eat some pizza, and discuss Integrity issues going on in the middle school. See my future January post entitled "Sustained Rapport and Mentoring" to learn more about these amazing Integrity kids.
Brent
2i2 is a trademark of Mr. Vasicekâs classroom. It symbolizes pushing yourself to your potential while living with Integrity. Special thanks to the original integrity gang, Michael, Brendan, Brandon, Tyler, Tristen, Jacob, Anthony, Cameron, and Alex.
