Supplies
- N/A
Attachments
Objectives
- By the end of the session, students will be able to:
- Understand the connection between action and consequence
- Learn the importance of understanding consequences
- Understand what it means to be accountable for one’s actions
- Recognize the harmful effects of making excuses
- Change excuses into positive statements of responsibility
Introduction
Have you ever thought about what it would be like if everyone stopped following rules, and being responsible for their actions, duties, and obligations? What do you think the world would be like? Simple things, that you probably don’t think much about, happen because people are responsible. For example: people get to school and work on time because the public transportation system acts according to a set of guidelines. You receive an education because your teacher shows up for work. At your age you are not old enough to provide your own shelter, clothing, and food. If your parents failed to meet their obligationto take care of you by providing you with your basic needs, your life would be extremely difficult. Sadly, this is the case for many children in our society. Because their parents fail to act responsibly, their children are left without basic necessities of life. Every action a person does is followed by a consequence; which can be positive or negative.
Procedures & Activities
Step 1:
Ask the students to take out their homework and have volunteers to share their answers. Tell students:
For each example scenario we discuss, let’s list the positive consequences of taking responsibility and negative consequences of not taking responsibility.
Reviewing both the positive consequences of taking responsibility and negative consequences of not taking responsibility will enable students to understand why to act responsibly.
Step 2:
Continue the discussion by using the following questions:
- Have you ever been in a situation where you should have had a negative consequence, but someone bailed you out?
- How is that helpful or harmful in the long run?
What do you learn from that situation?
Step 3:
Discuss with students how it is very common with adolescents for parents to defend their children without knowing the actions of the child. Explain to students how this is not healthy, as their parents aren’t always going to be there to help them out, and it may leave them ill-equipped to deal with their own problems.
You want to help the students understand that every action has a consequence even if they are bailed out. The same action done later in life when the parent is not around to help will draw the same consequence, which will then be felt.
Step 4:
Teach students that another aspect of a responsible character is “accountability, which is the willingness to answer for your choices and behavior. Explain to them that people who are accountable accept the consequences of their actions, and learn from the choices they have made; whereas people who are not accountable for their actions, blame others for the choices they have made and make excuses for their actions.
Step 5:
Read the scenario to students on the “Accountability” teacher’s resource (Attachment A). Ask students the questions that follow and discuss their answers.
Step 6:
Discuss with students why giving excuses is a way that we deny our own responsibility and try to blame others. Discuss with them how frequent excuses can very negatively affect someone and lead to a loss of trust. Give students examples of excuses, and how to turn them into statements of taking responsibility:
Excuse: “The lamp just broke.”
Taking Responsibility: “I broke the lamp. How can I fix it?”
Excuse: “I can’t find my credit card.”
Taking Responsibility: “I lost my credit card. I need to look harder.”
Excuse: “He was doing it, so I did it, too.”
Taking Responsibility: “I won’t do it.”
Step 7:
Ask students to write down several excuses they’ve made recently, and to rewrite their excuses as statements of responsibility.
Step 8:
Process the activity with students by asking students why they think they make excuses. Explain to them how when they make a responsible statement, opposed to an excuse, they are in control. Ask them whether it’s easier to make excuses, or to make responsible statements.
Step 9:
Explain to students how when people fail to take their duties and obligations seriously, they are irresponsible. Irresponsible people tend to ignore their duties and are more likely to act first and think later. They don’t necessarily take the time to consider the consequences of their actions, or they have a “doesn’t really matter,” attitude. As a result, they can cause a lot of harm to themselves or others.
Summary
Review the main ideas of the lesson:
Today we looked at responsibility from the vantage point of having a positive consequence happen to you when you act responsibly, and a negative consequence happen to you when you are not responsible. There might come a time in life when you won’t have someone to cover for you and will not so easily be able to escape trouble. If you think through an action before taking it and if you take care of all you are supposed to take care of, you will not feel the negative consequences of actions. If you don’t, you need to be accountable for your choices by accepting responsibility for your actions and being honest with yourself and admitting that you are wrong. When you take accountability, you give yourself an opportunity to change, mature, and grow. If not, you probably continue to make the same poor choices over and over again. People who choose not to be accountable make excuses for their actions or shift the blame onto someone else. Nobody benefits from making excuses, ever.
