From <Buiding one habit a month>

Have children read out loud the story of the month prepared for the character education.

Mother:

Today, we are going to read a story about Hogil Kim, the first president of POSTECH. Samgyu, would you read the story first?

Samgyu:

(Reads it out loud.)

Everyone:

(Applause - regardless of how well or poorly he reads the story, everyone gives him a big round of applause.)

Let children rephrase the story in their own words.

Mother:

Samgyu, would tell us about the story you just read?

Samgyu:

Dr. Hogil Kim, the president of POSTECH, always complimented other people. So people liked him and he helped people to make friends with each other.

Mother:

Good job. Everyone, give him a hand. Ijung, now you tell us.

Ijung:

Dr. Hogil Kim was the first president of POSTECH. He always spoke highly of other people, and did so loudly. People liked him. Everyone became friends thanks to him. When Dr. Yong-tae Lee visited Berkeley, Dr. Hogil Kim said good things about him to the other people there. He also said good things about the people there to Dr. Yong-tae Lee. They now have become lifetime friends. Thanks to this good habit of complimenting other people, Dr. Hogil Kim was able to make POSTECH a great school.

Father:

Wow, great job, Ijung. Everyone, give her a hand.

Mother:

Is this story fun?

Everyone:

Yes.

Mother:

Now, we all have to make this story our own story. To do that, it is best to deliver this story to your friends yourselves. Now, write down the names of 5 friends that you want to tell this story to.

Ilnam:

Done. Jusik, Ilsu, Cheolsu, Myeongjae and Sumi.

Mother:

Ijung and Samgyu, you two should also write down 5 names and put them on the wall. Whenever you tell the story to a friend, cross out their name, one by one. When you are done, you will get a prize.

Look for the lessons in the story.

Mother:

What is the lesson in this story?

Samgyu:

That we need to compliment others.

Ijung:

If you compliment other people, they will like you, and you can also help other people to become friends with each other. This in turn will help you to achieve great things.

Father:

You guys are great. Like you said, speaking highly of others can make people like you, and help bring them closer to each other. Plus, people will encourage and help each other to achieve great things. When I look at people at work and in other places, it is the people who say good things about others that have great relationships with other people. They are often successful workers too.

Mother:

It really is true with my friends too. By complimenting other people, you will be able to build good relationships with others, and things will go well for you, too.

Father:

I think that the lesson is “compliment other people.” By doing this, we can build good relationships with the people around us, and things will go well for us, too. Should we say it out loud?

Everyone:

Compliment others. By doing this, we can build good relationships with the people around us, and things will go well for us, too. .

Everyone:

Compliment other people. By doing this, we can build good relationships with the people around us, and things will go well for us, too. (By saying it out loud and repeating it all together, the children will remember and make it their own.)

Share everyone's experiences and thoughts on the lessons. This gives a chance for parents and children to talk to each other.

Mother:

Now, why don’t we share our experiences or feelings regarding this lesson we just learned?

Ilnam:

I have heard before that Dr. Hogil Kim made POSTECH a great school as its first president. But I had no idea that one of his secrets was he complimented other people out loud all the time. I should remember to mention my friends' strong points often from now on.

Samgyu:

My friend Minsu compliments others and tells me that I am a great singer. I like Minsu and so do my other friends.

Ijung:

I don't think I compliment my friends enough. I really should.

Father:

Great thinking. The head of my department at work is a successful businessman with a great personality. I often hear him loudly complimenting and recognizing the good work that his team members do. He’ll say things like "Manager Kim is such a brave person. He is a great worker," or "Assistant Manager Park is well-rounded and quite trustworthy," and "Manager Song is a very honest person" or "Deputy Head Hyun is really loyal." His praises make us respect him more and work harder for the company as one. To win someone's heart, it is important that we develop a habit of complimenting others.

Mother:

My friend Myunghee is like him. She never stops praising her friends for their good qualities. I've never seen her speaking ill of anyone. We all think that she's a great person and do not hesitate to help her. We shouldn't be stingy when it comes praising each other and the people around us.

Everyone picks one easy goal that he or she can achieve to make the lessons a habit, and promises not to break it.

Father:

Mom had a good point there. So how can we make this a habit? What can we do this month?

Samgyu:

I will say good things about a friend to my other friends every week.

Mother:

That's great. How about you, Ijung?

Ijung:

You know I have fights with Samgyu very often. I will compliment him for one good thing about his personality or something he is good at every week. I will share it with you guys. I will start from there.

Mother:

That's a great idea too. I guess you guys will be closer to each other from now on. Haha.

Ilnam:

Now that I think about it, I rarely say anything good about my friends. I would like to think of the strengths of my friends in my photography club and see what I can bring people’s attention to. I will compliment one friend a week when other people are around.

Mother:

Please make sure you do. I will also compliment you guys when dad comes home in the evening.

Father:

Sure. That will definitely cheer me up. I will say good things about you guys to mom once every week.

Children:

Good. Don't forget.

Mother:

Now, we are going to be a happy family that cares for each other.

Father:

So, how can we make sure that we actually put this into practice?

Ilnam:

I will let Ijung and Samgyu know what I do every week.

Ijung:

I will write it down on a piece of paper and keep it in my wallet.

Samgyu:

I will put it on my wall and read it every morning.

Mother:

Good. I will put it on the dressing table and look at it every day, too.

Father:

If I don't follow through, you guys remind me. Now, let's make sure we all keep our word by checking up on each other at the family meeting next month. You guys did a great job today! Keep it up!