R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Mrs. Limmer's Respect Bubble Map

Kind of makes you want to belt out a tune with Aretha, doesn't it?  The first graders across the hallway (fondly known as Respect Route!) are working on their Character Books so I snuck in there with our character cam and caught some of the action as they were mapping their thoughts about respect. Just what exactly is respect?  How do you show it? What does it look like? How does it sound? How does it feel? Our students know it as the Golden-Rule pillar because respect means Treat Others Like You Want To Be Treated.

After the students finished their Respect Bubble Map, they went to work writing and illustrating a respect page for their Character Book.  Next came Trustworthiness and this week their focus is Responsibility. Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship remain; I can't wait to see how their character creations turn out! It's such great fun to be right across the hallway from these budding authors and illustrators because their teachers are borrowing from my Books That Teach collection and I'm reminded about all of the valued titles on my shelf that bring these virtues to life.

Click image for a book review.

Ilene Cooper's gem addresses how universal the Golden Rule is and how many cultures into which we find it integrated. Here are six examples:

Aristotle:  We should behave to others as we wish others to behave to us.

Buddhism:  Hurt not others with that which pains thyself.

Christianity: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Confucius:  What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others.

Hinduism:  Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee thereafter.

Judaism:  What you dislike for yourself, do not do to anyone.

Kids love to do the hand-jive motions with this little ditty I wrote:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T; 

you've got to give it to get it

yeah, that's the key.

We live by the Golden Rule, you see

at Westwood Elementary.
(feel free to substitute your school's name.)