Page 24 - G-Beeing Civil

PARENT NOTES — Beeing Civil
TOPIC: The fable Beeing Civil concentrates on the need for us to be polite, courteous and respectful of others. In our society, these skills are necessary to avoid conflict and to encourage friendships. When someone succeeds, do we tell ourselves, (a) They worked very hard and deserve the rewards of their success. Or do we tell ourselves, (b)Lucky jerk, I bet he/she thinks they are special when it really just ‘fell into their lap’ and they don’t deserve it.
We must learn how to respond to success and failure experienced by others and ourselves. Being civil does mean saying please and thank you but it also means much more than that. This story will give children an insight into how they can tune in to being civil.
In this story, Cosmos compares humans to bees to illustrate the need for being civil. He talks about how other bees congratulate each other when one of them succeeds rather than being jealous and resentful.
He also talks about how a “winner” can be generous and be willing to share. The example used in the story is the nectar from a flower but in the real world, you can share in the success of your team or share your good fortune (from candy to championship) with others who are less fortunate.
Some children have the bad habit of making fun of those who make a mistake or fail at a task. This story allows you to discuss the idea that when you ridicule others, you are being “uncivil.” For some children, their peers may encourage making fun of others and this story is a way of discouraging that type of behavior.
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