Showing  children how to act and perform in everyday life is a fundamental part of education that is often times overlooked. “Hop on the Bus with R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” (Reaching Every Student Promoting Excellent Character Traits) is a program I created to teach students proper behaviors needed to be successful.

I have devised a way to entertain students, educate, and inspire them as well.  I include the six pillars of character which are respect, fairness, trustworthiness, honesty, responsibility, and citizenship from the Character Counts! Program.

My program focuses on three major areas-respect, fairness, and sharing. These areas are what many schools have identified as areas where they have difficulty with students. My program is extremely flexible, and can change according to the needs of the schools. A Dallas school contacted me and asked if I could focus on name calling, following rules, and students keeping their hands to yourself. I changed the presentation to incorporate those areas. I later received a letter informing me that the name-calling and pushing had stopped after my visit.

“Hop on the Bus with R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” is not just a normal school assembly.  There are several reasons why my program is very successful in many different school climates.  The basis for the efficiency of my program is the fact that the presentation is not that of a lecture, but a show meant to entertain.  Using puppets and ventriloquism, I illustrate the effects of bad character.  Students of all ages respond to the puppets and can relate to their antics.  My characters give students reason to laugh, but also clearly demonstrate the effects of improper behavior on others.  There is no need to tell the students the purpose of the show. 

I use interactive measures to insure that all students pay attention. To demonstrate the importance of following rules and fairness, I select volunteers to run a race. I try to convince one child to break the rules. When I declare the child that cheated a winner, the other students realize the importance of fairness. At Mc Hogan Elementary, a school with an established character program, I was unable to convince any of the volunteers to cheat. They had been taught at an early age that cheating was wrong and refused to cheat.

In addition to the one-time programs that I conduct at schools around the state of Texas, I incorporate this program on an ongoing basis in a school in Beaumont.  I am a student director of "Show Productions" at Curtis Elementary.  To teach character traits in this setting, I use a mentoring system instead of a show.  When students are learning lines, songs, or choreography, they have to cooperate, show patience, and respect those around them.  The "Show Productions" activity was created at this school to provide at-risk students a constructive activity for their after school hours when parents are still at work.  At rehearsal, these students practice being a good audience and display the many aspects of good character taught with “Hop on the Bus with R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”. The performers have learned to treat each other fairly, assist when needed, and display good citizenship. These students have grown tremendously in character without realizing it, and while having fun!

The trick to teaching students good character traits successfully is instructing them through something they enjoy. Whether it is a show, a theatre program, dance, or baseball; it will stick with them if they learned it while doing something they love.

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