The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cites
Rebecca Schwind, First Place
Grade 6, Shell Beach Elementary
Teacher: Mrs. Schmieg
For me, sixth grade has been the best of times and the worst of times. The best part of the sixth grade class is my teacher, Mr. Schmieg. Mr. Schmieg exemplifies the 4-Way Test He is honest and kind. I often don’t like school, but I think to myself, at least Mr. Schmieg is there, and he’ll make it better and worthwhile for us. Mr. Schmieg makes school beneficial for us students not only teaching us academics, but he also shows us by example how to treat each other with dignity and respect He is Mr with the way he grades and disciplines the class. He is even nice to the kids who do not behave. Through example, he shows us kids how we can also be nice to others even though they may not be nice to us. He helps us build good will and better friendships by taking class time and having each student give compliments to other students. It builds good will among us and helps us focus on what is positive about that person. Mr. Schmieg takes time to talk with us and listen to any problems we have. It makes us feel special and benefits the whole class because then we are happy students. On the other hand, it has not been all smooth sailing for me. In one way it has been the worst year so far because some of the kids who used to be nice changed into mean and selfish rascals. One girl started picking on me and saying unkind and hurtful things. She did things like mess up my papers when I walked away from my desk. It got so bad mat I didn’t want to go to school. My mom talked with Mr. Schmieg, and he had her moved to a different table. This solved part of the problem. I still had to see her and would bump into her quite a bit I managed to solve this very uncomfortable problem by remembering the Rotary Club’s 4-WayTest All the things this girl had done to me went against the 4 rules of the 4-Way Test Did she tell the truth about me? No. Was what she did fair to me? No. Did she build good will and a better friendship with me? No. Was what she did beneficial to all concerned? No. I wondered if it was possible if she would ever change and then I thought about using the 4- Way test on her. It was worth a try, as I had nothing to lose. I started by trying to talk with her. She liked the nice things I said about her and she started to not be so mean. I invited her to a club at school. Showing her kindness built good will with her which began a friendship. Then I spoke with her and told her mat things were a bit rough between us and I wanted to work it out It turned out she was undergoing some issues at home and was having a hard time. Now instead of dreading bumping into her I actually enjoy it I learned that saying nice things about others benefits everyone, so I have left several anonymous positive notes for all the kids in my class. These notes have created good will among my classmates and makes everyone feel good.
I love the 4-Way Test! It helps me solve problems and decide the right way to travel on the road of life. It is a great concept that teachers should teach in class.
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