The Day the Crayons Quit Kori Pollington Educ 502 Character in Education-Dr. Gretchen Kelly

Author-Drew Daywalt Illustrator-Oliver Jeffers

The purple crayon loved it that it was Duncan’s favorite color but it made the crayon crazy when Duncan colored outside the lines. It was going to go crazy if Duncan didn’t start coloring inside the lines soon… Why was purple crayon angry? How do we know purple crayon was angry? What did purple crayon want Duncan to do? What would happen If Duncan did nothing? How do my actions affect other kids and the class as a whole? What is a consequence of breaking a rule? Can we as a group decide on rules for our classroom?

The beige crayon wrote to Duncan and told him, “I’m tired of being called “light brown” or “dark tan” because I am neither. I am beige and I am proud.” Respect means showing regard for the worth of someone or something. Self-Respect means we treat our own life and person as having inherent value. How do we know the beige crayon had self-respect? How can we respect ourselves? How do my actions show self- respect?

Green crayon wrote to Duncan and told him that it enjoyed the work of coloring things green and congratulated Duncan on a successful career of coloring things green. What was the crayon thinking? How do we know? How was the crayon feeling toward Duncan.? What word would you use to describe the crayon? How many people in our school can you say “thank you” to? Saying thank you is a way of showing_________.

Red and Yellow crayon were not speaking to each other. They were having a conflict. Yellow Crayon and Red Crayon each thought it was the color of the sun. They each wrote to Duncan and asked him to solve the problem. What happened in this situation? How do each of the crayons feel? What are some ways to solve this problem? Who is responsible to solve the conflict, Duncan or the crayons? Have we had any problems like this in our school? What should you do if you have a problem and it causes conflict?

What is it called when we do something over and over without thinking about it? What if it is not the right thing to do? If it is not the right thing to do how can we change our thinking and behavior? What does it take to do what is right and not “follow the Kids”? What is the right thing for Duncan to do? Pink crayon wrote to Duncan and asked him, “Can you please use me sometime to color the occasional pink dinosaur or monster? Goodness knows they could use a splash of color.”

Poor peach crayon! Do you remember what it wrote to Duncan? Let’s review, it wrote, “Why did you peel off my wrapper?? Now I am naked and too embarrassed to leave the crayon box! I don’t even have any underwear! How would you like to go to school naked? Climb out of your skin and think about crayon. How would you like to go to school without underwear? Empathy is when we think about how another person feels. What are some situations in our school where we can think of how someone else feels? What do you do for that person?

As for Duncan he just wanted to color and of course he wanted his crayons to be happy and then he had an idea……. Lets’ pretend If your crayons could write letters to you what would they say? Be sure and answer the letters your crayons wrote to you just like Duncan did.

Final Summary To be honest I have never given much thought to my personal values but this course has challenged me to examine my values. During a recent conversation with my adult son concerning this course and values he said, “That’s easy, your personal values are hard work, respect, honesty and empathy, I know, I’ve lived them with you!” I have to admit at first I laughed but then upon reflection he is exactly right. Those values are exactly who I am. A personal strength I bring to the classroom is empathy. In my situation as a teacher of many, many second language learners, empathy is needed in the classroom. Lickona stated, One of the ways teachers can foster caring about what’s right is to show how deeply they care.” (1991, p. 78) Developing relationships with children and parents helps teachers to understand behaviors in the classroom. Empathy is also extended to family members. I’m the caregiver for my 85 year old mother. As my son says, “With you it’s a life style!” I don’t think I would go that far but I am willing to “go the extra mile” for folks. I really do believe that children need to experience ongoing firsthand face-to-face helping relationships to develop empathy and caring. This course has helped me define the difference between values clarification and values education Lickona addresses this by stating, “What values clarification fails to address is the crucial question, are the values espoused by the student worthwhile. (1991, p. 239.). I have become aware of how to use values clarification handbooks as activities to lead children to think about themselves and others. In the future I would like to take to be a leader in my school in adopting a values education program centered on six noncontroversial values: respect, courage, honesty, justice, willingness to work, and self discipline. In the future, I would like to explore values education among the culture of poverty. I have a special interest in this topic because I teach in a school with a 98% free and reduced lunch population. It has become a goal of mine to help develop a school wide culture where values such as respect, honesty and willingness to work are celebrated. My first step will be the creation of an ASB for our students with an emphasis on making student councils responsible for dealing with problems and issues in ways that improve the quality of school life. To influence change I’ll start with my sphere of influence, take small steps, and make adjustments as I go along. My skills as a leader will be challenged but I have tools given in this course to look forward to the future with confidence.

References Daywalt, Drew. (2013). The day the crayons quit. Philomel books: New York. Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility. Bantam: New York.