Lifeskills and Lifelong Guidelines
Teachers and students at Beehive Elementary practice the following Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills.
“The purpose of the list of Lifeskills is to provide parameters that help students evaluate their own performances—to guide them, individually and in groups, to an understanding of which social behaviors will enhance their success… We hope that [the Lifeskills] become a part of students' persona - who they are and how they act upong the world.”
— Susan Kovalik; ITI: The Model Integrated Thematic Instruction
“Who doesn’t want to have a sense of community whether it be in the neighborhood, an organization, a church, or workplace? Community is that sense of belonging one feels when many hearts and minds come together to work toward a common goal and live by a common set of behavioral standards. In our classroom we will follow the Lifelong Guidelines of Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Active Listening No Put Downs, and Do Your Personal Best [aka The Lifeskills]. …”
— Sue Pearson; Tools for Citizenship and Life
The Lifelong Guidelines*
- TRUSTWORTHINESS
- To act in a manner that makes one worthy of confidence and trust… to be reliable and dependable
- TRUTHFULNESS
- To be honest about things and feelings with oneself and others… it is a critical building block for human relationships with significant short and long term consequences
- ACTIVE LISTENING
- To listen with the intention of understanding what the speaker means to communicate… it demands that we listen with our eyes, ears, heart, and undivided attention focusing on the words, ideas, and emotions of the speaker
- NO PUT-DOWNS
- Not to use words, actions, and/or body language to degrade, humiliate, or dishonor others… every student should be able to approach new opportunites and learning experiences without dreading verbal abuse
- DO YOUR PERSONAL BEST
- (use the Lifeskills): One’s best possible performance given the time and resources available… it’s not about perfectionism. Quality work is never an accident; it is always the result of combining clear goals, high standards, knowledge and skills, and genuine effort. There is no one way to achieve a sense of fulfillment but doing one’s personal best on a consistent basis is the best road we know of to reach that end.
* These descriptions of The Lifelong Guidelines were excerpted from Sue Pearson’s book,
Tools for Citizenship and Life available through
Susan Kovalik’s website.
The Lifeskills
- INTEGRITY
- To act according to a sense of what’s right and wrong
- INITIATIVE
- To do something because it needs to be done
- FLEXIBILITY
- To be willing to change plans when necessary
- PERSEVERANCE
- To keep at it
- ORGANIZATION
- To plan, arrange, and implement in an orderly way
- SENSE OF HUMOR
- To laugh and be playful without harming others
- EFFORT
- To do your best
- COMMON SENSE
- To use good judgment
- PROBLEM-SOLVING
- To create solutions in difficult situations and everyday problems
- RESPONSIBILITY
- To respond when appropriate, to be accountable for your actions
- PATIENCE
- To wait calmly for someone or something
- FRIENDSHIP
- To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring
- CURIOSITY
- A desire to investigate and seek understanding of one’s world
- COOPERATION
- To work together toward a common goal or purpose
- CARING
- To feel and show concern for others
- COURAGE
- To act according to one’s beliefs despite fear of adverse consequences
- PRIDE
- Satisfaction from doing one’s personal best
- RESOURCEFULNESS
- To respond to challenges and opportunities in innovative and creative ways