Students and Seniors:
Pairing for Character
By Ellen Almeida
To develop good character, students need various
opportunities to learn and practice core ethical values. Character
development programs are most beneficial when they involve students
in activities that allow them to practice their values.
Special-needs students at Vance Village School, New Britain,
Connecticut, are practicing the values of care and responsibility by
serving local senior citizens.
The
students at Vance are involved in a program called Adopt-A-Grandparent. This experience-based program promotes the
development of strong and supportive relationships with senior
citizens at the local Andrew House Healthcare facility. Robin
Handleman, a special needs teacher at Vance, has noted the
caring attachment her students have formed with seniors. These
positive relationships have increased the students motivation to be
caring and responsible.
Encouraged by the potential to interact with their new
friends, Ms. Handleman has noted that students perform better
academically. Specifically, she has seen improvement in the areas of
reading and writing and a marked increase in students’ desire to
learn. “Students tell me all the time that they want to read for
their grandparents,” stated Ms. Handleman. Students strive for
higher achievement when completing school assignments so that they
can share test grades and other accomplishments with seniors. Upon
returning from the visits, Ms. Handleman noted, “students have so
much to write about because they use their experience with the
seniors as motivation.”
Ms. Handleman,
has developed this proactive approach to help students with special needs
grow personally and academically. The program effectively integrates
cooperative- and service- learning with authentic social experience.
Students are paired with seniors at Andrew House for monthly
activities. Each activity provides a variety of structured
opportunities for students to develop and apply core values such as
kindness, responsibility, concern, and respect. Students practice
these values with their senior partner by developing a positive
relationship. By placing a high value on relationships, students
gain interpersonal skills and learn to work cooperatively.
Volunteering their time and service to relate to seniors plays an
important role in helping students value and care about other
people. When third-grader David was asked why he participates in the
program, he stated, “Because I care about them [the seniors].”
For
the seniors, the time spent with students allows them to share
activities and stories, and bond with a younger generation. The
seniors and students look forward to each meeting. During the
summer, third grader, Chelsea, wanted to visit her “grandmother”
all the time. Chelsea’s mother commented that Chelsea counted the
days until she could see her “grandma” again.
Vance Village School has developed
Adopt-A-Grandparent as a program that helps their students practice
excellent character. Additionally, the program provides students and
seniors the opportunity to bridge the generations and create
positive relationships. These relationships are healthy connections
for members of both age groups. We commend Robin Handleman and the
staff of Andrew House for creating and supporting this program that
helps place ethics in action!
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