Thomas asks her fifth-grade students to remind her of the rules they agreed to respect. The children know them by heart: listen attentively; don’t put other people down; remember that you have the right not to share your opinion when asked; and show respect for others. That goes for the entire school, Manchester Elementary in Spring Lake.

The circle feels like a group therapy session, but it is common at Manchester Elementary. The school adheres to a program called “Tribes,” which focuses on character education and cooperation within groups.

Teachers have different ways of incorporating the Tribes program into classes, but most break into circles to talk with all the children. Thomas’ class meets in a circle three times a day.

The children have different answers: because sometimes they need help, because sometimes it’s faster and because everyone has different ideas, for example.

“What I was finding was they would really pick on each other to the point where a conflict could not be resolved easily,” she said.

Poulk learned about Tribes at a conference in San Diego, and her teachers participated in a four-day training session this summer before implementing the program in August. Poulk paid for the training with federal money allocated to the school.

The Tribes program supplements a countywide character education program that introduces different words and concepts each month. Poulk said she wanted to focus on character education daily.

The children in Thomas’ class see the differences that Tribes has brought about, such as increasing respect for other children who are not their friends. They say that middle school will be difficult next year because they will not have the Tribes program.

Manchester Elementary students demonstrate their respect in the hallways, where they look out for children being picked on. Fifth-grader Tevon Thomas said that next year, in middle school, if he sees one student making fun of another, he will react.

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