Students already know that stress is often unavoidable. They are shown ways to recognize stressful situations and how to manage their anger and maintain self-control in difficult circumstances. Students are shown how to handle conflicts in a mature and responsible way. They learn about the basic psychological needs people have and how bias and stereotypes influence our thinking. Students are assisted in developing problem solving strategies that encourage personal responsibility.
Students learn how to explore their options when faced with personal decisions.
They learn the differences between realistic and unrealistic goals and are encouraged to set their own goals for self-improvement. Commentary One of the most intriguing parts of this program is Ms. Scully's ultimate goal to draw the entire school community into an awareness of social skills and perhaps create a more civil and caring environment. Each month, the students choose a different social skill for everyone to follow for the entire month. She takes improving a school's atmosphere one step further by developing an attribute of the month and character calendar. The students choose an attribute for each month of the school year and then generate ideas.