During a practicum placement at Frank W. Begley Elementary in December 2019, I was able to see firsthand the impact of character education. At this diverse school with a high percentage of recent immigrants and refugees, character education and the building of a supportive and caring school community were paramount. In their interactions with students, I could see that the teachers were deeply aware of the importance of open and kind communication, teaching students to identify and express their feelings. When conflicts arose, students were encouraged to work through their problems in a constructive way that left all parties feeling safe and heard. Seeing this was a turning point for me as it made more concrete the importance and impact of this kind of education in our schools. I want to give my students the skills to become kind, resilient, empathetic, respectful and trustworthy, through modeling and giving everyday concrete ways to practice this. I want my students to have the tools to work through conflicts and challenges in a restorative and productive way. This photo is of a display that I created at the library in order for students to have easy access to books that promote character education in various forms. This is an example of the ways in which I hope to help create a learning environment that supports the entire school community and where all students recognize their responsibility for supporting others as well as themselves.