This document discusses the importance of character development in today's world. It notes that three major social institutions - the home, school, and religion - have traditionally shaped character, but that society and families have changed in ways that make character development more challenging. As a result, parents and teachers now need to be more intentional and vigilant in fostering good character traits in children. The document emphasizes that developing strong character requires countercultural efforts from families and schools in the current environment.

2. LOGO
Now more than ever,
this work of formation is
urgent and important.

3. BEING GOOD, DOING GOOD

4. Even when it is difficult

5. Even when no one is looking

6. Even when others are not

7. Through history, 3 great
social institutions have
shared the work of shaping
character:
 Home
 School
 Religion

8. The Primacy of Parents
 The family is the first
school of virtue.

9. WHY IS PARENTING HARDER
THAN EVER?
1. Society has changed.
2. Families have changed.
3. The peer group has
changed.

10. BIG IDEA
A societal environment that
does not encourage good
character means parents
and teachers have to be
more vigilant and more
intentional than in past
generations.

11. BIG IDEA
To develop good character
in today’s world, families
and schools must be
countercultural.

14. FB Live

15. Followers
Likes

16. Crowdsource

17. IMO

18. Feelings

19. Craving for Constant
Connection (ICYMI)

21. In the US, 11 Teens
are killed everyday.

22. Text Tilt Trauma

24. 60 pounds of
pressure on the neck

25. Dizziness
Neck Pain
Stress
Tiredness
Headache

26. Insatiable need to be
noticed
validated
entertained
Insatiable need to be

27. Greatly decreased
Physical Activity

28. Increased
Waistlines

29. Phantom Limb
Syndrome

33. Anonymity of the Screen

36. Crisis
in
Character

38. The brain is being fed
“FASTFOOD”

39. Substitute Brain
Thinking in Headlines
Need for Instant Response
(Instant Gratification)
Inability to Memorize

40. We’ve lost the
Art of Handwriting

41. Disorders
Dissatisfaction
Ranting that leads to Regret
Narcissistic Tendencies
Inflated/Deflated Ego
Self-Centered Disposition
Sleep Disorder: Insomnia

42. Disorders
Dizzy Spells
Headaches
Eye Strain
Muscle Pains
Brain Stress

43. Disorders
Cyber Bullying
Indecent Exposures/Scandals
That Have Led to Suicides
Wounded Self-Esteem That
has Led to Depression

44. Digital
Detoxification

45. 10 minutes a day on social media
=
60 hours a year

48. Delete
Hide
Mute
Block
Take a Break
Unfollow
Unfriend

50. AIRPLANE MODE
is not just for Airplanes.

53. Will connecting at this
moment really help me
achieve my goals?

56. GRIT

57. “Grit is passion and perseverance for very
long-term goals,” - Angela Lee Duckworth

58. 5 CHARACTERISTICS

59. COURAGE
not the absence of fear, but
the triumph over it

60. CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
being thorough, careful, or
vigilant

61. PERSEVERANCE
to start and continue steadfastly on
the path towards any goal you set

62. RESILIENCE
the capacity to recover
quickly from difficulties

63. PASSION
Deep sense of Purpose

64. 7 Ways To Develop Grit In Your Kids Today

65. Ignite their passion
Take them to see or do something they’ve never
done before
Do the new activity with them
After finishing the activity, ask how did they like it?

66. Teach self-control
Ask them to pay attention to how their emotions
feel
Have them practice breathing slowly during a
stressful situation
Let them practice slow breathing every day so
they’re ready for stress

67. Warn them to expect setbacks
Explain that setbacks are natural and mostly
temporary
Pick one setback they are currently dealing with and
brain storm solutions
Narrow down options to top 3 actionable ideas
Tell them how you overcame an obstacle or setback
in your life

68. Make a plan together
Ask your child to visualize the goal they want to
achieve and write it down
Break down the goal into bite size chunks that are
SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
and Time-bound
Help them create milestones to track progress
Post the plan where your kids will see it every day

69. Compliment effort
Compliment effort expended on activity whether
successful or not
When successes occur, compliment them on a job
well done pointing out the effort that helped them
achieve
When success doesn’t come despite the effort, ask
them why? Have them write down lessons learned.

70. Tell them to stick to what’s really
important
Consistently instill that lying, cheating, and stealing
is wrong
Encourage them to develop strong principles by
referring to your cultural or religious texts
Tell them about a moral or ethical challenge you
encountered and how you handled it

71. Show how to take care of body
and mind
Encourage any physical activity including sports,
chores, and exercise
Ensure they get enough sleep
Make sure their lunches and snacks have plenty of
protein, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables

86. RISE IN SUICIDE CASES
DEPRESSION
AGE OF INSTANT
GRATIFICATION
SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT
PRIVILEGED MINDSET
NARCISSISM

88. z
5 Ways to
Build
Resilience
inside the
Classroom

89. z
1
Promote self-
reflection through
literary essays or
small-group
discussions.

90. z
www.heroicimagination.org

91. z
Who was the hero in this story? Why?
What challenge or dilemma did the hero
overcome?
What personal strengths did the hero
possess? What choices did he or she
have to make?
How did other people support the hero?
What did the hero learn?
How do we use the same personal
strengths when we overcome obstacles in
our own lives? Can you share some
examples?

92. z
Who was the hero in this story? Why?
What challenge or dilemma did the hero
overcome?
What personal strengths did the hero
possess? What choices did he or she
have to make?
How did other people support the hero?
What did the hero learn?
How do we use the same personal
strengths when we overcome obstacles in
our own lives? Can you share some
examples?

93. z
Who was the hero in this story? Why?
What challenge or dilemma did the hero
overcome?
What personal strengths did the hero
possess? What choices did he or she
have to make?
How did other people support the hero?
What did the hero learn?
How do we use the same personal
strengths when we overcome obstacles in
our own lives? Can you share some
examples?

94. z
Who was the hero in this story? Why?
What challenge or dilemma did the hero
overcome?
What personal strengths did the hero
possess? What choices did he or she
have to make?
How did other people support the hero?
What did the hero learn?
How do we use the same personal
strengths when we overcome obstacles in
our own lives? Can you share some
examples?

95. z
Who was the hero in this story? Why?
What challenge or dilemma did the hero
overcome?
What personal strengths did the hero
possess? What choices did he or she
have to make?
How did other people support the hero?
What did the hero learn?
How do we use the same personal
strengths when we overcome obstacles in
our own lives? Can you share some
examples?

96. z
2
Encourage reflection
through personal
essays.

97. z
Write about a person who
supported you during a
particularly stressful or
traumatic time. How did they
help you overcome this
challenge?

98. z
What did you learn about
yourself?

99. z
Write about a friend that you
supported as he or she went
through a stressful event. What
did you do that most helped
your friend?

100. z
What did you learn about
yourself?

101. z
Write about a time in your life
when you had to cope with a
difficult situation. What helped
and hindered you as you
overcame this challenge?

102. z
What learning did you take
away that will help you in the
future?

103. z
3
 Help children (and
their parents) learn
from student
failures.

104. z
 https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/20
13/01/why-parents-need-to-let-their-children-
fail/272603/

106. z
Create a classroom culture where
failure, setbacks, and disappointment
are an expected and honored part of
learning.
Establish and reinforce an atmosphere
where students are praised for their
hard work, perseverance, and grit, not
just for grades and easy successes.
Hold students accountable for
producing their own work, efforts from
which they feel ownership and internal
reward.
Educate and assure parents that

107. z
Create a classroom culture where
failure, setbacks, and disappointment
are an expected and honored part of
learning.
Establish and reinforce an atmosphere
where students are praised for their
hard work, perseverance, and grit, not
just for grades and easy successes.
Hold students accountable for
producing their own work, efforts from
which they feel ownership and internal
reward.
Educate and assure parents that

108. z
Create a classroom culture where
failure, setbacks, and disappointment
are an expected and honored part of
learning.
Establish and reinforce an atmosphere
where students are praised for their
hard work, perseverance, and grit, not
just for grades and easy successes.
Hold students accountable for
producing their own work, efforts from
which they feel ownership and internal
reward.
Educate and assure parents that

109. z
are an expected and honored part of
learning.
Establish and reinforce an atmosphere
where students are praised for their
hard work, perseverance, and grit, not
just for grades and easy successes.
Hold students accountable for
producing their own work, efforts from
which they feel ownership and internal
reward.
Educate and assure parents that
supporting kids through failure builds
resilience -- one of the best
developmental outcomes that they can
give their children.

110. z Create a classroom culture where failure,
setbacks, and disappointment are an
expected and honored part of learning.
Establish and reinforce an atmosphere
where students are praised for their hard
work, perseverance, and grit, not just for
grades and easy successes.
Hold students accountable for producing
their own work, efforts from which they feel
ownership and internal reward.
Educate and assure parents that supporting
kids through failure builds resilience -- one
of the best developmental outcomes that
they can give their children.

111. z
4
 Bring discussions
about human
resilience into the
classroom.

112. z
Whatever Subject:
 Political Leaders
 Scientists
 Literary Figures and Characters
 Innovators
 Inventors

113. z
5
 Build supportive
relationships with
students.

115. Identifying
with and
feeling other
people’s
concerns

116. Signs of Empathy

119. Step 1: Foster awareness and
build an Emotional
Vocabulary
Step 2: Enhance Sensitivity
to the Feelings of Others
Step 3: Develop Empathy for
Another Person’s Point of
View

120. Step 1: Foster
awareness
and build an
Emotional
Vocabulary

129. Step 2:
Enhance
Sensitivity to
the Feelings
of Others

130. Six Simple
Ways to
Nurture Kids’
Sensitivity

131. 1. Praise sensitive, kind
actions
2. Show the effect of
sensitivity
3. Draw attention to
nonverbal feeling
cues

132. 4. Ask often, “How does
he feel?”
5. Use the formula
“feels + needs”
6. Share why you feel
the way you do.

133. Five Fun Ways to Help Kids
Read Nonverbal Emotions
1. Play “Feeling Charades”
2. Make Comic Mood
Characters
3. Read with Feeling
4. Watch Silent TV
5. Hold a Feeling Lookout

134. Step 1: Foster awareness and
build an Emotional
Vocabulary
Step 2: Enhance Sensitivity
to the Feelings of Others
Step 3: Develop Empathy for
Another Person’s Point of
View

135. Step 3:
Develop
Empathy for
Another
Person’s
Point of View

136. Three Simple Ways to
Increase Children’s
Ability to Take Different
Perspectives

137. 1.Switch Roles to
Feel the Other
Side

138. 2. Walk in My
Shoes

139. 3. Imagine How
the Person Feels

140. Classroom Discipline that Builds
Empathy
C – Call attention to insensitive, uncaring
behavior
A – Ask: “How would you feel?”
R – Recognize the consequences of the
behavior
E – Express and explain your disapproval of
the insensitive action

142. Seven Essential Virtues

143. 7 Essential Virtues
Empathy
Conscience
Self-control
Respect
Kindness
Tolerance
Fairness

144. As Aristotle taught,
people do not
naturally become
morally excellent
or practically wise.

145. They become so, if at all, only as
the result of life-long personal and
community effort.
- Jon Moline

146. Character is destiny.
- Heraclitus

147. “The Altruistic
Personality”
A 1988
Research by
Samuel & Pearl
Oliner

148. People who “rescued”
Jews from the Nazis
did it “because that
was how they were
raised”.

149. Character
can be a matter
of life and death

150. Psychiatrist Frank
Pittman
“Stability of our
lives depends
upon
CHARACTER”

151. Psychiatrist
Frank Pittman
“CHARACTER,
not passion,
keeps
marriages
together.”

152. Psychiatrist Frank
Pittman
“CHARACTER
enables
people to
survive, to
endure, to
transcend
misfortunes.”