PBIS: Responsibility

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.01: Responsibility for Yourself

 

Taking care of yourself really isn't so hard. This girl might say otherwise, though. (Source)

We bet your eyes probably glaze over as soon as anyone mentions "personal responsibility." But here's the thing: it's actually not that bad, and it's the key to this whole responsibility thing.

So what does personal responsibility actually mean, other than sounding like the worst band name ever? The short version is that it means taking care of yourself. Sounds easy.

The long version comes with what you're taking care of.

Start by taking care of yourself physically. It's good to start there because it's the one you can see. Say, for example, you were on your way to school and were gored by a rhino. Ignore why a rhino was out in the middle of the street—the important thing is you were gored. That's serious stuff. You should take responsibility for getting yourself to a doctor, and hope she believes your rhino story.

That's an extreme example, but it covers what we're talking about. Next, take care of yourself emotionally and mentally. This one is a lot harder since we can't actually see emotions. Yet our brains also benefit from getting adequate amounts of food and sleep along with some other, less tangible, forms of TLC. But just because they're invisible doesn't mean we can neglect them.

That's personal responsibility. That's not so bad, right? We'll go over the nitty-gritty details in this lesson so that you'll never get an infection from a rhino goring incident ever, ever again.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.01: It's Personal

In this vast, star-filled universe, there's really only one entity you can control.

You. Little old you.

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier said than done. Controlling yourself can seem like a trickier prospect than herding cats, wrangling silverback gorillas, or teaching fleas to jump through hoops. Fortunately, though, it can be done.

This is why most people will tell you to start being responsible for yourself, which means being in charge of your behavior so you can deal with situations that cross your path.

Personal responsibility starts by being accountable for ourselves, continues with taking initiative to improve, and moves into making sure that we're capable of completing our duties. Now, in order to make sure that we're firing on all cylinders (like NASCAR), we need to consider the following areas:

Health

To begin with, we need to maintain a proper diet, so avoid eating five pounds of chocolate chip cookies every day. Check out the dietary guidelines suggested by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to get a good idea about what to eat. The better you eat, the better you feel.

Good health also includes daily physical activity (no more lying on the couch all weekend watching Teen Wolf), so make sure you're moving around. Also, be sure to get plenty of sleep; the Center for Disease Control recommends 9–10 hours for teens. Sometimes we need more or less, which means increasing our bedtime hours if we're falling asleep at the dinner table—it's only cute when babies do it.

Fitness

Few of us want to get up at five in the morning to run three to five miles. For those who do... congrats, you're already showing initiative at improving your physical fitness. For the rest of us, the battle is all uphill.

A wise person once said, "Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman." Batman got where he was by being super rich, but also by working out a lot. Chances are, you won't be picking fights with angry clowns, so your fitness needs might be a little different. The point is, pick an area and improve. Then if you have to fight a clown, you won't have to resort to terror-crying.

Hygiene

Being presentable in public means practicing good hygiene, so take a bath, brush your teeth, and put on some deodorant for Shmoop's sake. Otherwise, you can expect your crush to duck out of the classroom quickly when you try talking to them... unless they're Pepé Le Pew.

Hygiene also includes wearing clean clothes, brushing your hair, clipping your toenails, and all that other stuff that keeps us from calling in the authorities to establish a quarantine around your house.

Bad hygiene may only be a sign of negligence to some, but it has contributed to some pretty nasty plagues throughout the centuries, so don't take it lightly.

Seriously. Actual plagues.

Drugs/Alcohol

Scientists discovered that our brains aren't fully developed until we're around twenty-five. If we soak our brains in drugs and alcohol, then we hinder the learning process. In addition, if we won't be accountable to ourselves for saying "no" to drugs and alcohol, we might end up being accountable to the law.

Handcuffs look good on exactly 0% of the population.

Drugs and alcohol make decision-making even harder. It's tough to be responsible when your brain is being short-circuited by a chemical bath of poisons. Not only that, but you lose the ability to safely pilot your own body, let alone vehicle. It's never—never, never, never—okay to get behind a wheel when you're under the influence.

Seriously; you could kill someone.

Investigation

You should take the initiative to investigate the things you're curious about. No one else is going to do this for you.

By increasing your knowledge of things you enjoy, you might find new ideas that will improve human existence. This is where science comes from. It's also where art comes from. And adventure. And the invention of the ice cream cone.

Academics

Being responsible to better your school performance not only makes your teachers and parents happy, but also improves your chances of success in college, the military, or the job market. Since you can't avoid school because of that pesky thing called the law, you might as well make the best of it, right?

Emotions

Being emotionally responsible means developing self-control, an attribute that can be especially difficult when you're young and full of a lot of complex feelings (driven by those crazy hormones)... but almost as hard when you're older (and can't blame things on crazy hormones).

But here's the trick: self-control begins with not quickly reacting to everything that affects your emotions.

Stepping back from a situation and considering how you feel about it will help you take emotional responsibility for yourself. Then you can question yourselves to see if things are really as they seem. Emotions may be real... but they're not always right. Count to three. Take a walk around the block. Do what it takes to get a bit of distance between yourself and the things you're feeling.

Sometimes when emotions are difficult to manage, it's your responsibility to find help. This may involve talking with a trusted adult such as a parent, counselor, teacher, etc.

Spirituality/Philosophy

We know what you're thinking... this is getting too deep. Don't worry, Shmoopers, we're not saying you should shave your heads and run off with the latest guru to live in his commune.

We don't want you to drown in all the possibilities that include political, religious, or philosophical beliefs—we're just suggesting that you get alone time with yourself and figure out what you believe about life. What are your values? Your morals? How do you think life should be lived?

Okay, yes; we are getting a bit deep.

Adults don't have this all figured out, either. It's a lifelong process. Nevertheless, when you start taking responsibility for your beliefs about how you want to live now, you become better prepared to make responsible choices later, especially when peer pressure becomes fierce and you don't know whether or not you should resist.

As Shakespeare put it: "To thine own self be true." Unless the real you likes to bathe in maple syrup and roll over anthills... at that point, you may need some help.

In the Real World

Turns out bad hygiene is bad for everyone. Especially when you're treating patients all day. Get it together, doctors. (We're hoping this'll scare you into good hygiene.)

• "Doctors among worst offenders for poor hand hygiene: report"

Sample Lesson - Activity