"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education."
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
"If we want our children to possess the traits of character we most admire, we need to teach them what those traits are and why they deserve both admiration and allegiance. Children must learn to identify the forms and content of those traits."
— William J. Bennett
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
— Edith Wharton
"There's a hole in the moral ozone and it's getting bigger."
— Michael Josephson
"Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere."
— G.K. Chesterton
"Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling that desire."
— Epictetus |
Program Information
With the onslaught of crime, violence, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases, our youth are being bombarded with a philosophy of no right or wrong. This is where the Scott Davis "Consider Character" assembly program is striking at the heart of the matter. Scott's philosophy is that if you can get someone to laugh, you can get them to listen. So, through this effective communication tool of comedy, he is presenting to our youth key core ethical values.
Scott's goal through his assembly program is to raise awareness of the need to teach and model core values that are acceptable to liberals and conservatives, as well as to secular and faith-based communities.
CONSIDER CHARACTER
School Assembly Program
Presented By The Scott Davis Association
(New Program for the 2000 School Year)
During a 50-minute to one hour assembly program, Scott Davis uses comedy to convey a message that "LIFE IS WORTH LIVING" and to "CONSIDER CHARACTER." This program teaches students that they can live life in joy and harmony with themselves, family and fellow students. About forty minutes of the assembly consists of comedy. Scott wants the students to see that they can have fun in a good, clean way in a good environment, and that there is a difference in right and wrong and how you treat others.
The last part of the assembly is the "meat" of the message that he delivers. It addresses the importance of relationships, unity, effective communication, character, core ethical values, and getting along with others. Scott's outline for this part is as follows:
1. Honesty – The key to relationships. You must be honest about yourself and your needs. Bottling up your frustration is not the way to go.
(Scott gives illustrations about honesty and communication from his own life experiences.)
2. Sincerity – Always be sincere in your friendships and relationships. Don't just say you love your friend and then not help them out during times of need.
3. Encouragement – Everyone needs encouragement. Negative communication tears people down, positive communication builds people up. Scott addresses the harms of gossip and verbal abuse in this section.
4. Kindness – Nothing overcomes conflict like kindness. In the midst of a heated discussion, one should not REACT in a harsh way, but RESPOND in a manner of kindness. Scott gives some thoughts on how to do this.
5. Purpose – Have purpose in your conversations. Too many people spend their whole lives talking about nothing. Words are powerful and we can "prepare" what we say before we say it and make a world of difference in someone's life in how we approach our conversation with them. There is a time to "shoot the breeze" and a time to be serious. Learn what those times are and use your conversation with purpose, thinking about what you say before you say it.
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