At Westbridge Academy, educators know they have a responsibility to prepare students for the future, and that means they must teach students to understand a diverse, complex and changing world.
“We want our students to grow up to be global citizens and learn to be part of a democracy,” said Dr. Viviana Litovsky, the school’s executive director. “We have found that through character education, our students grow beyond ‘tolerance’ to a true appreciation of diversity,” she added.
There is a strong relationship between character education and social and emotional learning. Students at Westbridge Academy learn and practice the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
To help students develop the essential social skills they need, educators use Project Achieve, a nationally-recognized curriculum that uses evidence-based techniques and strategies to teach students how to solve problems, strengthen their own resilience, and develop effective self-management skills. Used at all grades, lessons are incorporated into the curriculum throughout the school year, to help students improve their ability to listen to others, ask for help, deal with teasing, manage anger and differences, and learn to apologize.
“We teach skills to build a ‘civics disposition’ – character traits essential to participating in group discussions and group decision-making in ways that are respectful and honor differences.”
