“Is there anything I can help with?” asked Jean.

If these words had come out of Jean’s mouth just a year or two ago, our jaws would have dropped to the ground.

We’ve had to pinch ourselves to see if we were dreaming.

Jean became a member at the HOPE worldwide Centre for Kids three years ago.  She came to the centre to do her homework every day after school.

What we liked about Jean was that she got her homework done fairly quickly.

What gave us a headache was that she would seriously disturb the other children.

“I finished all my homework!  I AM BORED!”  She would declare.

Then she would get out of her seat and start to chat with the other children who were still busy with theirs.

One time Jean thought it would be really funny to give each of the other kids a nickname.  She called this one “Little Egg Plant”, that one “Baby”, still another one “Little Fatty”.  The whole class erupted in laughter.  Encouraged by the attention she got, Jean started to run around the classroom.

We, of course, put a stop to it.  But we also knew that this was not a long term solution, nor did it help Jean understand how her behavior affected others.

So we came up with a game plan.

At the centre, we incorporate the Six Pillars of Character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, citizenship, and fairness) into many occasions, whether it’s doing homework or playing games.  We helped Jean understand that being a responsible member of the centre meant not disturbing others while they were busy with their work.  We gave her a few choices of what she could do when she was done with her homework, such as do supplementary exercises, review what she had learned in school that day, read books, or help others with their homework.  In the end, she chose to read books and help others.

After a few months, Jean learned that she actually liked helping others.  She started to pay attention to some of the younger kids.  She patiently explained things whenever they came to her for help.  Jean realized she experienced a lot of joy helping them.

With some guidance and patience, Jean has become a helpful part of this community and a wonderful big sister the younger ones look up to.

Well done, Jean!