Hillcrest staff, as the foundation for our discipline and recognition program, has adopted Lifeskills. It is taught throughout the curriculum on an on-going basis to help children develop personal responsibility along with the district adopted Second Step and Steps to Respect.
Over the past six years, we have only focused on the Lifelong Guideline of Personal Best. Working at your personal best means that you give your best possible performance given the time and resources available. Aristotle wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Personal Best is best defined by the 17 Lifeskills listed below.
Caring: being considerate of others
Common Sense: making wise decisions and using good judgment
Cooperation: working together
Courage: to act according to one’s set of beliefs
Curiosity: a desire to learn and know about all things
Effort: working hard and being willing to do my personal best
Flexibility: willing to change plans when necessary
Friendship: knowing how to make and keep a good friend
Initiative: taking the first step
Integrity: to be honest
Organization: to be able to plan in an orderly way
Patience: taking time to do something
Perseverance: finishing what you begin
Pride: Satisfaction from doing your personal best
Problem Solving: finding out what you know and using it
Responsibility: being dependable and trustworthy
Sense of Humor: to laugh and be playful without hurting others
So what are Lifelong Guidelines?
Trustworthiness: To act in a manner that makes one worthy of confidence and trust
Truthfulness: To be honest about things and feelings with oneself and others
Active Listening: To listen with the intention of understanding what the speaker means to communicate
No Put-Downs: Not to use words, actions, and/or body language to degrade, humiliate, or dishonor others
Personal Best: One’s best possible performance given the time and resources available