Today's lesson by ... Roosevelt? The use of character portrayal in classroom guidance.

School counselors often find the need to use a wide variety of resources and creative ways to keep the attention span of children during classroom guidance. This article describes how counselors may use the portrayal of a historical character in the classroom to teach lessons on self-esteem, motivation, and goal setting

Classroom guidance is widely considered to be an effective, efficient, and practical use of a school counselor's time (Gladding, 2004; Myrick, 1997). The decision-making process involved in selecting classroom guidance lessons, however, can be difficult for any school counselor. Most educators find it very challenging to hold the attention of their students throughout the school day, and counselors realize early in their careers that they are well-served by making their individual guidance lessons as interesting as possible. Indeed, school counselors have a wide variety of options when it comes to teaching classroom guidance lessons, including the use of puppets, board games, and bibliotherapy (Kottman, Ashby, & DeGraff, 2001). Many counselors try to incorporate their lessons around these options, desiring to use a variety of teaching materials to hold the attention of their students (Myrick). Still, many other school counselors simply "stick to the book" when it comes to preparing lessons, preferring to leave the writing of more creative lessons to others. However, there are numerous benefits for professional counselors who are able to be active, imaginative, and creative in their work (Jacobs, 2001).

Keeping with a creative spirit, a classroom guidance lesson that involves the use of character portrayal can be engaging for students. This involves the counselor assuming the personality and physical characteristics of a positive role model from history and teaching a lesson to the students on the subjects of motivation, goal setting, and how to overcome obstacles. Entitling the program "Teddy Roosevelt's America," I taught a lesson dressed in character to all fourth- and fifth-grade students at my school, which involved a costume, props, music, and a computer presentation. This article will provide the reader with background as to the efficacy of role models with children, as well as the action steps for creating the lesson.

THEORY

The importance of role models in the positive development of youth has been documented for many years (Bandura, 1997). Children who see others publicly recognized for achievement tend to want to emulate that behavior (Bandura). Role models also have been found to be important in young people's personal goal setting, particularly when they have observed adult role models receiving praise for their adherence to high standards (Bandura). Therefore, children, seeing that someone in history has reached a wide variety of goals, may decide to select some personal goals for themselves, also known as the eliciting effect (Bandura). Research has shown that role models, as well as mentors and heroes, present young people with adult figures who are worthy of being emulated in a positive way, especially among gifted children (Pleiss & Feldhusen, 1995).

However, additional research on the subject has been divided as to the best specific source of role models. There is a definite argument as to the importance for children of positive role models from sports as well as government figures and characters from books and other media (Gurian, 1999). Others have asserted that the most positive role models come from inside the child's own family as opposed to those in history, sports, or the media (Pollack, 1998). Yancey (1998) has indicated that the pool of adults outside of the family possibly available to the child in the role of mentor or role model is in many cases very small.

As to the issue of role models tending to come only from the ranks of sports stars and media celebrities, the results of a recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll painted a different picture (McQuillan, 2001). The poll showed that the top four individuals most admired in this country were President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, First Lady Laura Bush, and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Of the 20 names on the list, 14 were in the category of government leaders, as opposed to 6 from sports, religion, or the media. This may be a response to the events of September 11th, and the rise of political and government leaders in these types of polls is not without precedent. An annual poll published in 1992 by the World Almanac and Book of Facts indicated that the most admired American at that time was Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, which could be a reference to the Persian Gulf War of 1991. The previous winners of the poll, such as Paula Abdul, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jordan, had all been from the entertainment and sports fields.

Clearly, the emergence of role models from the ranks of political and world leaders after a major national crisis is an area that needs more research. In any event, the fact that some children will list former and present presidents and world leaders as individuals whom they admire was a major factor in my decision to begin this project.

PLANNING THE LESSON

The decision to write this particular classroom guidance lesson was based, then, on three different foundations. First, I have always been a big fan of all the presidents of the United States. As a child, I read any biography that I could find on almost all of them, and I was constantly finding motivation and encouragement from reading about their lives. John F. Kennedy, in particular, was an early hero of mine, as was Theodore Roosevelt. By the time I entered high school, I began to read more about Theodore Roosevelt's life and always considered him an excellent example of an individual who set and achieved a wide variety of goals and objectives in his lifetime.

Second, I wanted to expose students to a role model from U.S. history, which is ripe with individuals who have overcome obstacles in many different forms. It has always bothered me to hear children indicate that Social Studies was "boring," or their least favorite subject, when history lends itself to some of the most dramatic and inspiring tales ever told.

Third, I felt the need to do something related to patriotism in the aftermath of the events of September 11th. The rise of flag waving and national spirit in the weeks following the tragedy helped to create the perfect atmosphere in which to write a lesson on the subjects of motivation, goal setting, and patriotic spirit that would combine all of these elements together.

Therefore, my next decision involved trying to figure out who I could most resemble, with a few basic props and, later, a fake moustache. It was at this same time that I was reading about Theodore Roosevelt. Morris (2001) has written an excellent account of Roosevelt's early years and subsequent rise to power. Born a sickly child, suffering from terrible bouts of asthma and weak eyesight, Roosevelt was able to build his body up to the point where no man would dare challenge him. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, which led him to become a writer at an early age. After graduation from Harvard University, he began his well-known journey through public office, until he had his chance to prove his bravery on the battlefield in the Spanish-American War. Only by setting goals, and believing in himself, was Roosevelt able to accomplish the many things that he did, including two terms as president of the United States (Morris).

During my counseling internship at another elementary school, I helped to organize a visit by an accomplished performer, who portrayed Abraham Lincoln professionally all over the country. This performer's visit as Lincoln was very inspiring to the children, who found his lesson combining history and motivation to be humorous and inspiring. Through his contacts, I was able to speak on the telephone with two individuals who portrayed Theodore Roosevelt professionally, and I gathered information from both of them as to mannerisms, voice inflections, and so on. I also was able to find actual recordings of Roosevelt's voice to study and found the necessary props (e.g., moustache, pincenez glasses) to transform myself into the character. I was happy to find an old pocket watch that had belonged to nay grandfather, and the look was completed by a brown pinstriped suit, found at a local thrift shop.

I gathered together as many Roosevelt anecdotes as I could find (Boiler, 1996; Morris, 2001; Theodore Roosevelt Association, 2001) and wrote the lesson in which I would be in character as Roosevelt for an entire classroom visit. I created a computer PowerPoint presentation that featured photographs of Roosevelt's life and purchased a patriotic CD for background music. I also composed a handout for the students, which included basic facts about Roosevelt's life as well as similarities and differences with my own life. Feeling that I needed help with running the computer presentation and occasionally changing the music, I trained two of my fifth-grade peer helpers as assistants, and I scheduled the lessons with fourth- and fifth-grade classes.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S AMERICA

Prior to beginning the lesson, I would go into the classroom to set up the computer program on the teacher's television, set up the CD player for the music, and set aside the student handouts. My student assistant then would enter the classroom to prepare for my entrance, as I would go to my office to change clothes, put on the moustache and glasses, and get into character. I then would wait outside the classroom until my assistant announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States," whereupon I would enter to sounds of "Hail to the Chief."

As "Roosevelt," I would explain to the students that I had "stepped out of the pages of history" to visit them, and that my purpose was to challenge and motivate them to set personal goals for themselves. Most of the lesson involved telling the children anecdotes of Roosevelt's life, with an emphasis on the many obstacles and tragedies that he had to overcome. Whenever possible, I quoted directly from his speeches and writings, and I illustrated each historical fact with pictures from the PowerPoint presentation. (See Appendix A for an excerpt of the script.)

At the midpoint of the enactment, the PowerPoint presentation on Roosevelt's life would begin, and I would describe in narrative fashion a number of his accomplishments. I would remain in character, as if I was showing slides of myself at home. Patriotic music would play softly in the background throughout the presentation, with the songs "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Semper Paratus," "The Chimes of Liberty," and so on. At the end of the presentation, I would summarize my comments, continuing my "speech" on topics related to motivation and patriotism, all taken directly from Roosevelt's speeches. At this time, I would present the classroom teacher with a certificate that I had created on the computer, stating that their room had been visited on this day by the 26th president of the United States.

I would finish the lesson with a challenge to the students to set goals and to believe in themselves, and I would lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance before exiting the room to the strains of "Stars and Stripes Forever." Moments later, I would reenter the classroom (out of character) to initiate a brief discussion, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Teachers and staff members at my school, upon hearing about my classroom portrayals from their peers, encouraged each other to see my "performance" at their earliest opportunity. To assess the academic benefits of the lesson, I wrote a 10-question pretest/posttest on Roosevelt's life that I distributed to two fifth-grade classes chosen at random. Pretest results indicated that students had correctly answered 23.1% (Class 1) and 21.4% (Class 2) of the questions. Posttest results indicated that students had correctly answered 84% (Class 1) and 81.4% (Class 2) of the questions. (See Appendix B for a copy of the pretest/posttest.)

DISCUSSION

Counselors wishing to create similar lessons should consider a variety of issues before they begin. First, preparing a character portrayal involves work: researching the life of the person to be portrayed, finding makeup and/or props, preparing music and visual effects, preparing a handout, writing the script, practicing the role, and training a student assistant. It is suggested that a counselor taking on this type of project be interested and motivated in the person to be portrayed, and be willing to devote as much time as possible to learning how to present the character to the children.

Second, it is helpful if the counselor has a slight physical resemblance to the person, but this is not completely necessary. There are a wide variety of theatrical props, hats, and costumes available to consumers, and an "outfit" can be put together without a great deal of cost. Again, thrift shops or Salvation Army stores can be helpful in keeping the expense down.

Third, the counselor needs to decide which character is the most appropriate to be portrayed. This decision is best left to the individual counselor as to which person from history he or she has found to be inspirational, or whom the counselor feels would be an interesting role model to the students.

CONCLUSION

As school counselors, we all must look at more varied and creative ways to reach students. The more one can cross-reference goals and objectives of the guidance curriculum with the element of fun, the better (Kottman et al., 2001). Classroom guidance lessons that involve only the completion of worksheets will no longer be effective in this day and age of computers and video games. Through the use of character portrayal, counselors may find a unique way to capture the attention of their students in a most useful and entertaining way, and to create that spark of motivation that allows children to begin their own personal journeys in life.

APPENDIX A

Excerpt of Script

Good morning, students! I understand that I'm in the classroom of a Mrs. --. Are you this fine teacher, madam? So very happy to make your acquaintance, delighted! Boys and girls, thank you for that marvelous reception, and, if you will kindly take your seats, we will now begin. Many of you may not be familiar with who I am, unless you've studied references to me in your Social Studies book. Allow me, therefore, to introduce myself. My name is Theodore Roosevelt, and I hail from the great state of New York. I have stepped out of the pages of history and come to visit you for a single purpose on this fine day ... to challenge you, and to make you think. You are about to embark on a singularly magnificent journey into your own respective futures, and for this purpose, it is necessary to set goals, and to motivate yourself to achieve your highest place in American society.

I also bring greetings to you from my six children, four boys and two girls, who are the joys of my life. I would want you to meet my eldest daughter, Alice, in particular. Alice is a girl of boundless energy and action. One day, I was meeting with a gentleman in the White House, and Alice insisted on running in and out of the room, around my desk, and out again, until the gentleman cried out, "Theodore!!" Isn't there anything you can do to control Alice?" I looked at the man firmly and said, "I can do one of two things. I can be president of the United States, or ... I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both!" (Boiler, 1996).

And, while I'm talking about the actions of my children, I must tell you about my youngest boy, Quentin. He and a friend were once playing a trick on office workers in Washington, near the White House. They were focusing a mirror in order to flash sunlight into the faces of office workers nearby. When the incident was reported to me, I sent a messenger to tell the boys to look for a flagman on top of the building, who was about to use the flags to signal an important message to them. Delighted, they went out to look. The flagman sent them this message: "You. Under the trees. All of you. Attack on this building must immediately cease. Halt. Stop. Clerks cannot work. Government business interrupted. Report without delay to me for you know what. Theodore Roosevelt" (Boiler, 1996). When the boys came into the White House, we had a nice little talk!

Action, my young friends, is the key word for my visit today. It is not enough to simply say what you are going to do with your life. "I have a perfect horror of words that are not backed up by deeds" (Theodore Roosevelt Association, 2001). And, we're not simply talking about being successful in your future career. "Success--the real success--does not depend on the position that you hold, but how you carry yourself in that position" (Theodore Roosevelt Association).

Some of you may be afraid of failing. "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed" (Theodore Roosevelt Association, 2001). But, you may have noticed one of my more obvious failings. I have a bully good time simply talking, which got me intro trouble when I was younger. When I was a student at Harvard University, an extremely angry professor once said to me, "See here, Roosevelt, let me talk! I'm running this course!" (Boiler, 1996). So, let me begin by showing you some pictures of my life, and telling you some of my philosophy.

APPENDIX B

Student Pretest/Posttest on Theodore Roosevelt

(Correct answers are in bold)

Choose the one best answer:

1. Theodore Roosevelt was from the state of:

a. New Jersey

b. Washington

c. New York

d. Virginia

2. What did Roosevelt's son, Quentin, use to play a trick on office workers in Washington, D.C.?

a. a comb

b. a mirror

c. a whoopee cushion

d. none of the above

3. Where did Roosevelt go to college?

a. University of Virginia

b. Yale University 

c. University of New Jersey

d. Harvard University

4. Roosevelt became a cattle rancher in what state?

a. Texas

b. North Dakota 

c. Oklahoma

d. Arizona

5. What was the name of the war in which the Rough Riders participated?

a. The Spanish-American War

b. The Cuban War

c. World War I

d. World War II

6. After Roosevelt was elected governor, he was elected to what office?

a. President of the United States

b. Secretary of the Army

c. Vice president of the United States 

d. United States senator

7. Theodore Roosevelt was:

a. the oldest man ever elected president

b. the youngest man ever elected president

c. the only president to be elected for four terms

d. none of these

8. Roosevelt's greatest accomplishment as president was:

a. America's victory in World War I

b. the creation of the Peace Corps

c. the first airplane

d. the Panama Canal 

9. Before he was president, Roosevelt served as:

a. Assistant secretary of the Navy 

b. Vice president of the United States

c. Police commissioner

d. all of the above

10. Roosevelt's mother was born in:

a. New York

b. New Jersey

c. Georgia

d. Massachusetts

References

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman.

Boller, P., Jr. (1996). Presidential anecdotes (2nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

Gladding, S.T. (2004). Counseling: A comprehensive profession (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Gurian, M. (1999). The good son. New York: Penguin Putnam.

Jacobs, E. (2001). Creative counseling techniques: An illustrated guide. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Kottman, T., Ashby, J., & DeGraff, D. (2001). Adventures in guidance: How to integrate fun into your guidance program. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

McQuillan, L. (2001, December 27). Bush dominates most-admired poll. USA Today. Retrieved January 19, 2005, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/ dec01/2001-12-27-bush-poll.htm

Morris, E. (2001). The rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2nd ed.). New York: Random House.

Myrick, R. D. (1997). Developmental guidance and counseling: A practical approach (3rd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media.

Pleiss, M. K., & Feldhusen, J. (1995). Mentors, role models, and heroes in the lives of gifted children. Educational Psychologist, 30(3), 115-120.

Pollack, W. (1998). Real boys. New York: Henry Holt.

Theodore Roosevelt Association. (2001). Life of Theodore Roosevelt: In his own words. Retrieved November 1,2001, from http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life.htm

World Almanac and Book of Facts. (1992). Heroes of young America: The twelfth annual poll New York: Pharos.

Yancey, A. (1998). Building positive self-image in adolescents in foster care: The use of role models in an interactive group approach. Adolescence, 33, 95-99. Retrieved January 19, 2005, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m2248/is_130_33/ai_65306450

The author would like to thank Dr. Sam Gladding and Dr. Pat Otwell for their encouragement in the completion of this article.

David S. Young, Ed.S., is a counselor at Brookwood Elementary School, Snellville, GA. E-mail: [e-mail]