Character Development Discussions at Edcamp

The Hope Institute attended Edcamp Florence on February 22, 2020 from 8:00am to 3:00pm at Florence High School’s Freshman Center.

This was the 5th annual participant driven "un-conference" in North Alabama. Over 200 educators from four states attended, giving up a Saturday to professionally grow.

Edcamp events are free and participant-driven. After arriving, participants create the agenda for the day by introducing themselves and suggesting a topic for the session board. The model allows for a natural flow of laid back and practical discussion, meeting everyone’s needs through open questions and answers. The Edcamp organization describes themselves as providing “professional development for teachers by teachers,” and The Hope Institute felt lucky to join the conversation about character education using this model.

Hope Institute Executive Director Dr. Jodi and Facilitator Brian Cain presented two sessions on having a School Culture for Character Development. They highlighted beliefs that core values and virtues are needed in schools today more than ever while acknowledging that today’s educators already have a lot on their plates. We wholeheartedly believe with this “truth bomb” shared by Sarahann Wood Arcila on Twitter during one of Jodi and Brian’s sessions.

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Jodi and Brian also reminded the educators in their sessions of the importance of developing the character of all adults and students and the community. Like academics, good character can be modeled and taught, and it takes a driven and intentional group effort that reaches past school walls to transform a school culture towards one that is character focused. We appreciated the chance to share books by a few Hope Institute favorite authors, including Liz Huntley’s More Than a Bird, Marvin Berkowitz’s You Can’t Teach Through a Rat and Thomas Lickona’s Character Matters, through a door prize giveaway for a handful of attendees as a wonderful conclusion to a day of sharing with and learning from a dedicated group of educators.