Lesson from Mr. Browne

1. PRECEPTS…
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 C H A R A C T E R E D

2. LEARNING TARGET:
• Students will be able to define the term precept, and identify multiple examples of
precepts.
• Students will begin to understand the meaning of precepts by practicing metaphors
and similies through class discussions.

3. CLASS DISCUSSION
• What is a precept?
• How can precepts be useful to us?
• Have several students give an example of a precept.

4. LESSONS FROM THE BOOK “WONDER”
• Remember Mr. Browne? Auggie’s 5th grade English teacher from Beecher Prep?
Here’s what he has to say: (Have students take turns reading a few lines each):
“ Here’s a secret, kids: Parents spend a lot of time teaching you how to be polite when
you’re very young because, it’s a scientific fact, the world is nicer to polite people. By
the time you get to middle school, our priorities seem to shift. We tell you to do well in
school. Succeed. Study harder. Have you finished your homework yet? Somewhere
along the way, we stop emphasizing those elemental virtues. Maybe it’s because we
assume you’ve learned them by now. Or maybe it’s because we’ve got so many other
things we want you to learn. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because there’s an unwritten
law about middle school kids: it’s hard to be nice. I personally don’t buy this notion that
all kids go through a mean phase. Not to mention a little insulting to kids.

5. LESSONS FROM MR. BROWNE…
“Here’s the thing: with all due respect, guys, I don’t think you’re always equipped to
figure things out on your own. Sometimes there’s a lot of unnecessary meanness that
happens while you’re trying to sort out who you want to be, who your friends are, who
your friends are not.
Adults spend a lot of time talking about bullying in school these days, but the real
problem isn’t as obvious as throwing a Slurpee in another kid’s face. It’s about social
isolation. It’s about cruel jokes. It’s about the way kids treat one another. I’ve seen it
with my own eyes. That’s the kind of stuff I don’t find acceptable. Be respectful.”

6. LESSONS FROM MR. BROWNE…
“Some of you do it very well on your own. But others – and let’s be honest, don’t! Some
of you still need a little help figuring things out. So, kids, don’t get mad at us if we try to
help you in this regard. Be patient with us. It’s always tricky striking the right balance
between too much intervention and too little. We’re only trying to help. When we
remind you about those old, elemental virtues we used to teach you back in your
toddler days, it’s because playing nice isn’t something that ends in middle school. It’s
something you need to remember every day as you walk through the school hallways
on your way to becoming adults.
The truth of the matter is this: there’s so much nobility lurking inside your souls. Our job
as parents, educators, and teachers is to nurture it, to bring it out, and to let it shine.”
--Mr. Browne

7. VOTED BEST PRECEPTS THIS WEEK…
#1:
• “The word happiness would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”
• By – Carl Jung
• Submitted by Josephine Thomas

8. VOTED BEST PRECEPTS THIS WEEK…
#2:
• “If you don’t have something nice to say, you’re not trying hard enough.”
• By – Kid President
• Submitted by Connor Hopson

9. VOTED BEST PRECEPTS THIS WEEK…
#3:
• “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.”
• By – Estee Lauder
• Submitted by: Sam Kendrick

10. VOTED BEST PRECEPTS THIS WEEK…
#4:
• “To live a creative life, you must lose the fear of being wrong.”
• By – Joseph Chilton Pearce
• Submitted by: Libby Gardner

11. PRECEPT DRAWING…
• Turn in your favorite precept to your Advisory teacher today! These will be entered in a
drawing for $5 Maverick gift cards!!!
• Your precept will also be displayed in the hallway.