Recently, your child’s class met with the school counselor, Ms. Q, for a school wide character education lesson. During the lesson, the classes read a book called “Have you filled a Bucket Today” by Carol McCloud. The classes then discussed and role played a concept called “bucket filling.”

The purpose of “Bucket Filling” is to improve social & emotional learning. It is based on a simple concept where we each have an invisible bucket with the singular purpose of holding good thoughts and feelings about ourselves. When we are happy and good to others, our buckets become full. When we are sad or unkind to others, our buckets become empty. Bucket Fillers fill both their own and others’ buckets. Conversely, if a person is unkind or hurtful, they are referred to as “Bucket Dippers”. Like Bucket Fillers, Bucket Dippers dip into both their own bucket and others’ buckets when they choose to be mean or hurtful to others.

When using these books as teaching tools, children quickly understand that they can fill buckets when they do and say things that are kind, considerate, caring, and respectful as well as dip into buckets and remove those good feelings if they choose to do and say things that are hurtful. This simple yet profound concept teaches children that actions and words affect both ourselves and others.

During this school year we are encouraging, reminding, and recognizing everyone’s efforts to be bucket fillers at home, at school, and everywhere they go. As parents, you can help reinforce this by discussing further with your child and using some of the terminology (bucket fillers, bucket dippers) discussed in this newsletter.

If you would like to learn more about bucket filling, there are several websites that expand on this concept. One website you can visit is the Bucket Fillers website, Bucket fillers 101 which even offers a free weekly e-newsletter for parents and teachers.

There is also a great interview with one of the authors previously mentioned, Carol McCloud, on YouTube. There are two ways to access the interview. You can either type the exact address below, or once you go to www.youtube.com you can type in key words “bucket fillers and Carol McCloud. “ It should be the first link that comes up. The link is: Youtube Video

If you would like further communication, or have any questions, please feel free to email me at: Twila.quattlebaum@cms.k12.nc.us

HAVE YOU FILLED A BUCKET TODAY?