Teaching character and creating positive classrooms
I remember vividly how I met my friend Sita. School had just begun and I was in class 5. Sita had a bright smile to her face. I liked her instantly. I learnt how to keep smiling from her. She was cheerful, enjoyable and made friends instantly. Everyone loved her in my class.
A few months passed by in school and we started taking tests and assessments. Usually, in our school there were 3 main assessments conducted at the end of every quarter. We were assessed based on what was taught in that quarter. Oh! These quarterly assessments were my nightmare, as it was for many other students. Sleepless nights, learning the concepts to somehow secure a decent score(grade). But what I always looked forward to was the holidays we got right after our assessments! We usually got off for 10 days.
Post our fun, stress-free holidays, the next quarter began with a bang! The first day of the new quarter was “results day”. Stress time all over again! One can easily sense the tension in the atmosphere walking into any classroom. Usually the atmosphere is a bit of tension + eagerness to receive the scores (grades) secured.
We were waiting to get our report cards (consolidated report of all score (grades) subject wise in a single sheet of paper) eagerly and I could sense tension with most of my classmates. Sita was also tensed. The day went by and we got our report card. Luckily, for me, I had done the way I expected and I was quite happy with my results. We had this horrible habit of checking immediately how our other classmates had done — sharing the report cards, wanting to know how others hard performed, secretly comparing marks and feeling good if we had done better than the other person. As I was very happy with my results, I strutted around the class sharing my report. I got back to my desk, finding Sita upset and low. It was obvious she had not done well. I consoled her. Told her she can always catch up and asked her to be cheerful.
Sita was demotivated. She couldn’t believe in herself. She was getting quieter day by day. The smile on her face, started going away slowly. She stopped talking to many classmates and no one did anything about it. She was a great dancer, but she never came forward to participate in school events. She became a quiet girl in contrary to the person I met. We lost the cheerful Sita I met on the first day overtime.
There are many students in today’s world who go through similar emotions like Sita, unable to overcome obstacles and lose their originality overtime. It not only affects their school life from thereon, but continues to have an impact even during their adulthood. There were lot of ways we could have stopped a student like Sita fall down. Getting a child to love oneself, having a sense of accomplishment is very important for a child and that is exactly what Character Lab is working towards.
Character lab has identified character strengths that can be taught to children overtime. These strengths will help children to have the perfect scenario to learn. Children will exhibit Positive emotions, Engage in activities well, have good Relationships, have a Meaning and purpose and get a sense of Accomplishment! (PERMA)
What are these strengths and what is the impact it will have on students, if taught?
1. Strengths of mind
- Curiosity: Taking an interest in experience for its own sake; finding things fascinating
- Self-control: Regulating what one feels and does; being self-disciplined. (Note: Self- control is a character strength of the mind and heart)
- Zest: Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated

Teaching strengths of mind will enable students to have an urge to question and find out answers to why they didn’t get the desired outcome(curiosity), practice and discipline themselves to perform better (Self — control), and be able to start afresh with excitement everyday (Zest) !
2. Strengths of heart
- Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen
- Purpose: Being motivated and know that they are doing something for a reason, getting a purpose to their life.
- Social/Emotional intelligence: Being aware of motives and feelings of other people and oneself

Teaching strengths of heart will help students to empathize and understand their surrounding better. They will respect every individual (gratitude), have more clarity and understanding of their life (purpose) and adapt themselves with the surrounding easily (Social/emotional intelligence)
3. Strengths of will
- Grit: Finishing what one starts; completing something despite obstacles; a combination of persistence and resilience.
- Growth Mindset: Understanding that intelligence can be developed
- Optimism: Being hopeful about future outcomes combined with the agency to shape that future.

Teaching strengths of will, facilitate students to overcome obstacles with confidence and ease. They will never give up and try harder (grit), they can always learn more, to do better(growth mindset), and constantly notice the positive moments around them(optimism)
Teaching these character strengths is a step to create a positive being in a child overtime. Teaching this to students will help in creating a positive institution. Positive institutions facilitate the development of individual character strengths essential for PERMA. Potential positive institutions are everywhere, schools, classrooms, community organization. Our job is to make these institutions positive!
