This Fall, Hawthorn is initiating a Character Education class for students in Grades 8 to 12. Following up on our plans of last Spring, we are now implementing the REAL (Real Excellence and Attitude for Life) curriculum, created and developed by Katrina Alvir, a teacher from Hawthorn’s sister school, Tangara School for Girls in Australia. Joining other schools in Australia and North America,
Hawthorn faculty Ms. Pietrobon and Ms. Yu are now bringing this class alive for our US students, and they have kicked off the year with a unit on Emotional Intelligence. Navigating friendships, seeing things from another’s perspective, learning not to judge too quickly, experiencing the power of an honest apology, and understanding and articulating one’s own emotions, these are the types of first lessons that aim to guide students to growing in maturity in their everyday life.
We are so happy to see the start of this new course and to build our toolkit for students to live a life of virtue, grow in character strength, improve their well-being, and ultimately live happier and more balanced lives.