Comal County 4-H
132 S. Water Lane
New Braunfels, Texas 78130
(830) 620-3440
FAX (830) 620-3446

Your Extension staff has pledged ourselves to deliver character education throughout Comal County. With the support of our Commissioner's Court, Frost Bank, and the New Braunfels rotary Club, we have been able to incorporate lessons into our 4-H program at Oak Run School and at Rahe Primary. Our goal is to offer this program to all schools in the County.

Character education is not hereditary and does not develop automatically. We have many wonderful kids, but many young people also have problems, often because they don't have adequate adult role models in their lives.

Character education involves everyone. On a daily basis, each of us models character for the children and youth around us. We model character when we drive, when we greet one another, in our dealings on the phone and in the TV shows we choose to watch.

This educational program is built around six "pillars" of character. Those common ethical values (the "pillars") are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

What can you personally do? Help us.....model those six pillars every day in everything you do.........participate in character education training sponsored by the Extension Service so that you can be part of this movement..........support our training efforts by purchasing lesson plan modules to be sued in our schools.

Remember, together we are Texans Building Character!

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"A promise made is a debt unpaid." This quote by Robert Service is a reminder to us all that when we make a promise to someone, they trust us to follow through with it. Trustworthiness is the first pillar in the Six Pillars of Positive Character Development. You want your family and friends to trust you. How does this happen? What can you do?

You earn trust slowly - by being honest, by keeping promises, by acting with integrity and by being loyal. While earning trust takes a long time, losing trust can happen instantly. As a 4-H member, it is important to follow these guidelines because many people look to you to provide leadership and they think of you as a trustworthy person.

Honesty is a quality in people we admire, it is our best attempt to be truthful, accurate, and fair in everything we say and do.

Honesty Do'sTell the whole truth all the time.

• Be straightforward, open & direct.
• Be sincere.
• Say what you mean, mean what you say.
• Return what doesn't belong to you.

Trustworthiness is a very important pillar of positive character development. As a 4-H member you have a responsibility to your club, community, country, world, and most of all, yourself, to be a trustworthy person in every area of your life.

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Integrity means being what you say you are or think you should be. It means using your beliefs about right and wrong as the rules for your life.

Integrity Do's

• Stand up for what you believe.

• Be your best self.

• "Walk your talk." Show commitment and courage by doing the right thing no matter what.

Integrity - your actions reflect what you say and value.

A person of integrity will:

Stand up for their beliefs openly and boldly
Listen to their consciences and live by their principles
Are honorable in their actions
Have the courage to do what is right and try new things when it is hard
Build and guard their reputations

For the last few months, we have discussed a few of the basic learning skills to develop positive Character traits. The Character Counts! program is based on 6 pillars of Character. These 6 pillars include: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

To update our progress, you have been exposed to an introduction to the Character Counts! Program, reviewed Livestock Show Ethics, looked at two of the four parts on Trustworthiness, (Integrity and Honesty). Remember, each month builds on the next, each character pillar is part of the whole. In order to achieve good character, incorporate what you have learned into your daily life.

Promise-Keeping is an obligation to go beyond what the law requires you to do. It is a responsibility to make every effort to fulfill our commitments.

Promise-Keeping = Being Reliable.

Promise-Keeping Do's

• Be reliable, keep your word
• Pay your debts
• Return what you borrow
• Make only promises you can keep

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This month we will discuss the last positive character trait in the "Trustworthiness" pillar. Remember, that trustworthiness combines four parts: Integrity, Honesty, Promise-Keeping and Loyalty to build a person who can be trusted.

Loyalty means to be steadfast in allegiance to one's homeland, government, or to be faithful to a person, ideal, or custom.

Loyalty Do's

• Standby, stick up for and protect your family, friends, school and country.
• Be a good friend.
• Look out for those who care about you.
• Be very careful with private information that could embarrass or hurt others.

People with good character and ethics are people you can trust. It is important to understand what the four parts (Honesty, Promise-Keeping, Integrity, Loyalty) of "Trustworthiness" mean.

Learning these character traits early in life will help later in your decision-making process, and it will give you the basic information on what it takes to develop positive character traits.

Trustworthiness is a very important pillar of positive character development. As a 4-H member you have a responsibility to your club, community, country, world, and, most of all, yourself to be a trustworthy person in every area of your life.

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Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up...This quote by Jessie Jackson is a reminder ro us all that we should treat each person as our equal and never act better than anyone else. Respect is the second pillar in the Six Pillars of Positive Character Development. We all want a chance to be ourselves, make decisions, be accepted, and be treated in a polite, decent way.

Respectful people give others the information they need to make decisions about their lives.

Respectful people treat others with consideration. They do what is tasteful and proper in dealing with others. They don't stoop to violence, vulgarity, meanness or rudeness.

Respectful people treat other people's beliefs and accept individual differences without prejudice. They don't insist that everyone be like them.

Respectful people treat others as they want to be treated. They value others. They build up others, and they help other people value themselves.

Respect Do's

• Treat everyone with respect by being polite.
• Respect the individuality of others and be accepting of individual differences.
• Judge people on their merits, not on their race, religion, nationality, age, sex, physical or mental condition, or socioeconomic status.

Respect Don't's

• Don't insult, abuse, hurt, put down, mistreat or harass others.
• Don't make unwanted comments about a person's appearance.
• Don't take advantage of other people.
• Don't hold back information people need to make decisions.

Trustworthiness and Respect are the first two pillars of Positive Character Development. Be a trustworthy person who is honest, keeps promises, and is loyal, and you will gain the respect of those around you through your actions.

Apply trustworthiness and respect to your life on a regular basis. You will see the difference it makes in the way you will feel about yourself and the way others feel about you.

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Be more responsible!" You have probably heard it at home and at school dozens of times. What people are telling you, is to grow up and be responsible for your own actions. Responsibility is the third pillar in the Six Pillars of Positive Character Development. The ups and downs that occur throughout your life are all experiences that build your character and make you who you are. When you show responsibility throughout these ups and downs, you are definitely exercising positive character development. Responsibility means doing your part. Taking responsibility for yourself means taking care of yourself. It means you have taken an important step away from the "give me, do-for-me" stage of being a baby toward being a true adult. Moving toward being an adult is not easy and unfortunately some people never make that move. However, trusting your ability to take care of your responsibilities and having others trust you to do so is a wonderful feeling. Whether you compete in the livestock, horse, food and nutrition, clothing, public speaking, or any other project; as a 4-H member you have shown responsibility by completing the projects you are involved in. It is also important to remember the responsibility do's that contribute to positive character development and success in everything you do.

Responsibility Do's

• Think before you act and speak!

• Think about the possible results of your actions.

• Be accountable. Take responsibility for the results of what you do and don't do. Be reliable! Always do your job.

• Set a good example with everything you say and do.

• Do your best, so you can be proud of everything you do. Keep trying! Stick to your duties, even when they are hard to do. Clean up your own messes.

Responsibility Don't's

• Don't blame anyone else for your mistakes.

• Don't take credit for anyone else's work.

• Don't give up.

• Don't drop your duties.

• Don't give less than 100% on anything you do.

• Don't play before you finish jobs.

• Don't leave messes for someone else to fix.

Trustworthiness, Respect, and Responsibility are the first three pillars of Positive Character Development. These three pillars are the foundation of positive character development. Incorporating these three character traits into your daily life and before long practicing positive character development will be a positive habit you have formed! As you go throughout your life, it is important to remember that "Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well."

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This page last modified on: April 16, 2001