When a student can hold onto their values and recognize their strengths, it not only changes their lives but the lives around them. Courage means standing up for what is right and that takes strength. You cannot stand up if you don't have something to stand on. I encourage all of my families and students to openly discuss what they "stand for." 

Research shows that students thrive, achieve, and flourish more when they are connected to their family values and practice their values in action through character strengths. My goal is that by the end of every school year, students can name their top five strengths and top five family values.

Over the year, students will take a modified Values In Action (VIA) Inventory and received their own top five strengths (parents and guardians can find their own strengths here). We will analyze these strengths in relation to students' top five family values. For example, students might think about how they use their strengths to achieve their family goals. In another activity, they will consider a time when they were at their best (often exhibiting their strengths and/or family values). We can probably all name a time when we were at our worst or when we did something wrong. Can we also name a time when we were powerful and at our best? Through these practices, students can shift their thinking from “what am I not good at” to “what strengths do I need to achieve that task.” This “strength shift” can foster resilience and couldn’t we all use just a little bit more resilience in the world right now?