Unlike almost everywhere on the this Web site, on this page I mean to be
serious continuously.
Stated way too briefly, the purpose of Project Essential, a Teel Institute endeavor, is to help
children be the best they can be. I know it deserves my support, and maybe it
deserves yours.
The Project Essential curriculum is a school-based program for
grades kindergarten through 12 in which parents and teachers are trained to help children
develop integrity and genuine self-respect. Project Essential is designed to help
children develop the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that will make our world better, and
you can't beat that.
Students learn why and how:
to accept and fulfill their responsibilities,
to respect the rights of all people, and
to use self-discipline and self-control.
They learn skills such as:
empathy,
goal-setting,
introspection, and
tolerance.
Through the tightly integrated principles of Project Essential:
Students learn the meaning of real self-respect.
They learn how to admit, accept, and learn from their mistakes and
failures, without being destroyed by them.
They learn how to stop being a bully, and also how to keep from being
bullied.
They learn to care for themselves by caring for others.
They learn to give their very best effort and to feel better about
that effort than the actual achievement.
They learn that real self-esteem comes from inside, that they have to
earn it, and that no one else can give it to them.
They practice solving moral and ethical problems, and they learn that
true self-esteem depends upon behaving with integrity.
They learn how to keep themselves safe in a world that's sometimes
dangerous, and they learn that no matter what evil or misfortune might befall them, they
can become stronger and better for coping with it to the very best of their ability.
Take a look at those three lists above, and ask yourself whether those are
worthy goals.
As of this writing Project Essential is in 65 schools of all kinds in the greater
Kansas City area, as well as in St. Louis, Missouri, Atlanta, Georgia, and Brunswick,
Georgia; it presently serves about 14,000 students in grades K - 6.
Does Project Essential work?
Contrary to so many programs in a field rapidly becoming known as
"character education," Project Essential is for real, and there's real research
to show that it works.
Take a look at the two lists below.
In one urban elementary school, in the first year in which the
program
was introduced, the out-of-school suspension rate for violence was reduced by 83% from the
previous year, and bus conduct citations were reduced from 239 to 34. In-school
suspensions for violence were reduced by 61%.
1,200 elementary school students who received the program compared to
those who did not were reported by their teachers as significantly more empathic, more
self-controlled, less likely to act inappropriately in the classroom, more tolerant of
their own mistakes and those of others, less likely to tattle on their classmates, more
willing to try, and more respectful of property.
96% of teachers who use Project Essential report a high degree of
satisfaction with the program; 87% of teachers report the program to be "highly"
to "extremely" effective in helping them to manage their classrooms.
73% of parents in a small study reported that, after their own
training in the program, their relationships with their children improved, and their
children's behavior at home changed positively.
Students who have had the program for four or more years demonstrate
significantly better self-esteem than students who have not have the program.
In a study of 800 high school students, there was a highly positive
correlation between understanding of the program's key ideas and values, and grade-point
average.
Looked at from a longer perspective, Project Essential offers us a real way to address
issues such as teen suicide, substance abuse, and violence. Think about that.
Here are some quotes from real kids:
"It taught me to like myself, trust myself, respect myself." --Fifth-grader
"Mistakes are things you do wrong, and you say, 'Oops, I goofed,' and you fix it
all back again." --Kindergartner
"I want other kids to learn about responsibility, self-control, rights, errors,
introspection, and the mistakes steps too, because it helped me." --Second-grader
"Introspection is when you go to your own head and you stay there, awhile, and you
think about what's wrong and what's right, and if you're smart, you choose what's
right." --First-grader
"This program taught me that I should always keep my self-esteem and no matter how
tough it gets, I'll always pull through." --Fifth-grader
"Responsibility means that I take care of my junk." --Kindergartner
"I have learned so much I can use it all my life. I can teach it to others. For
example, if a friend is going to do something bad, I know to use introspection to look
inside myself." --Second Grader
"I learn from the principles every time I hear them. Without [the program], I'd be
lost." --Third Grader
OK, now that you're convinced Project Essential is worthy and works,
ask yourself what you can do about it.
Sue Teel and the other people who energize The Teel Institute are dedicated and thoroughly competent, and you can magnify their power to improve your kids and eveyone
else's.
If you are a parent or a teacher or a principal, or if you'd like to contribute in some way to Project Essential, write the executive director,
.
The
Teel Institute
(Project Essential)
4510 West 89th Street
Suite 100
Prairie Village, Kansas 66207
