“I suggest in this book that we agree on one principle: that a crucial measure of our success in life is the way we treat one another every day of our lives.” --Dr. P.M. Forni

Activities:

1. As you begin to consider Civility, Dr. Forni suggests that you make a list of the words you think of when you hear the word “civility”.  Think about words that sound like “civility”--civics, civilization—what do these words have in common?  Put your list of words together to develop a definition of civility.
2. Divide into small groups and give each group an equal number of George Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior to review.
   1. Based on your review, do you think civility is more of an issue today or during George Washington’s time
   2. Identify which of Dr. Forni’s 25 Choosing Civility rules match George Washington’s rules?  
3. Include Choosing Civility as one of the first English class reading assignments for the incoming freshmen class
   1. Discuss how civility impacts a classroom/school
4. Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, "You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned. I tell my players that our team condition depends on two factors-how hard they work on the floor during practice and how well they behave between practices."  Source: © Copyright Elkind+Sweet Communications, Inc. All rights are reserved. Teachers and coaches may copy this material for classroom use.
   1. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
   2. What is the role of “civility” (ethics) in athletics? (As an athlete, do you believe that you have any responsibility to be civil? (ethical)
5. Provide the class with a few recent newspaper articles as the basis for a civility discussion. An Example - No-Snow-Day Question Gets Frosty Answer, Washington Post, Wednesday, January 23, 2008; A01
   1. Were any rules of civility violated? If so, which ones and by whom? Explain.
   2. How could the situation have been handled differently if either party had followed the rules of civility? Give examples.
   3. Would the outcome have been different? If so, how?
6. Highlight one or two Rules of Civility in the school/organization’s newsletter each week/month and provide relevant examples

Discussion questions:

1. Dr. Forni writes, “Our contentment and happiness are a matter of personal attitude.” Do you agree? Does your attitude affect the people around you?
2. Dr. Forni writes, “Our challenge is to pursue relationships while keeping at a minimum the hurt that they entail. How can we do that?”
3. “Restraint is the art of feeling good later.”  Think about things you’ve done that feel good immediately. Think about things you’ve done that feel good later. What do these things have in common? What separates them?
4. What does it mean to go “one step beyond the golden rule”?
5. We often ask, "What’s in it for me?"  Can you think of a time when your life has been improved by a personal relationship?
6. What do all of these--personal attitute, kindness, restraint, the golden rule, and relationships--have to do with Civility?

Books:

• Children
• Teens