Teachers Guide - Operation Respect

• Create a plan and timeline for doing the project. Elect a committee of six children to
organize the project and have that group elect two main coordinators. The two coordinators
will research the logistics of performing the class Conscious Act of Caring, assigning various
tasks to the organizing committee of six and others to subcommittees created for this
purpose from the remaining children. The organizing committee should be sure to assign a
role for each child in the class. For example, the logistics might include creating
subcommittees for transportation, food, cleanup, thank you notes, etc. Last, have the
organizing committee elect two reporters who will document the class Conscious Act of
Caring and share it verbally or in some written fashion with the class or the school as a
whole.
• Help children to keep their class Conscious Act of Caring doable. In their enthusiasm,
children’s plans can become over-ambitious. Tell the children that you will be there to
advise them, but it is their project.
• Explain that for the next class Conscious Act of Caring a different organizing committee will
be elected, so that by the end of the year all students will get a chance to be central
organizers. Plan your next Conscious Act of Caring soon after the first one is completed.
Children’s Conscious Acts of Caring
After reading Mitch Albo’s Tuesdays with Morrie, the Talent House School’s elementary students
in Fairfax, Virginia, adopted some seniors of their own. Every other week, the young students
eagerly went to an assisted-living retirement community for “Wednesdays with Seniors” parties.
Stories and scrapbooks were shared, games played, friendships built, and memories created.
Next Steps
Children need opportunities to practice, and support from you, in order to learn how to
cooperate. Likewise, building a sense of a caring community is an ongoing task for any
classroom. In addition to reinforcing the skills presented in this guide and sustaining children’s
commitment to the Ridicule-Free Zone throughout the year, help children learn and practice the
following:
• taking turns
• responding positively to others
• contributing ideas
• asking for help
• learning to accept help
• staying with their partners or groups
• collaborating on a school or community service project
• putting individual needs aside to serve the group’s needs
We recommend the following to nurture these skills:
• Early Childhood Adventures in Peacemaking (for pre-kindergarten through grade 3) by
William J. Kreidler and Sandy Tsubokawa Whittall and School-age Adventures in
Peacemaking (for grades 1-6) by William J. Kreidler and Lisa Furlong, developed by ESR
and Project Adventure, include great activities for practicing the skills of cooperation and
creating a caring classroom environment. Available through Educators for Social
Responsibility, 800-370-2515, www.esrnational.org
Caring, Compassion, and Cooperation © 2000 Operation Respect, Inc. and Educators for Social Responsibility 41