Lesson One doesn’t just teach skills such as self-control, it makes those skills tangible through creative activities resulting in positive school culture change.

Problem

The lack of self-control and empathy among today's youth poses a myriad of problems in today's schools and society as a whole. Children who have difficulty using self-control often have problems learning, treating classmates and teachers with respect, and are typically perpetrators of bullying. Without tangible ways of teaching self-control, children are often ill prepared to succeed socially, emotionally and academically. Lack of self-control can lead to unhealthy behaviors throughout a child's life and can follow children into adulthood.

Solution

Lesson One’s main intervention involves direct-service modeling in schools. Lesson One consultants can walk into any school for the first time on a Monday, and during the course of one week, help create an exciting transformation in the school culture. Lesson One provides a comprehensive residency to ensure the intervention is thoroughly presented to both students and staff. The focus on the intervention is on teaching skills such as self-control, empathy, resiliency, stress reduction, responsibility and cooperation through transformative and tangible activities and group discussions. This combination ensures that children internalize these skills for life-long success.

Example

Lesson One walks into classrooms with a time-proven plan. While the teacher and administrator are present, Lesson One models specific activities related the skills being taught. For example, the children are asked to resist the temptation to pop bubbles as a way to experience the skill of self-control. Discussions involving empathy has children and adults sharing and celebrating times they treated someone they way they would have wanted to be treated. Partner games taking pairing children who normally wouldn't work together gives them an opportunity to learn more about cooperating with those who may not be their best friend. This process of defining, experiencing, and sharing life skills is what makes Lesson One a completely unique program, because it helps children internalize each skill for use both in and out of school. Interactive family nights provides parents and guardians the opportunity to learn to integrate the Lesson One skills at home.

Marketplace

Lesson One succeeds in filling the gaps of its competitors such as Second Step, Raising Healthy Children, Open Circle, and PATHS. Lesson One ensures intervention integrity by providing all of its teachers with consistent, on-site modeling and consultation. The intervention is easily adapted into all classroom lessons and is designed for use in grades K- 6. This full-time, whole school exposure allows the curriculum to become integrated into the culture of the school. By targeting both younger and older elementary aged children, Lesson One is reaching a population of students that are often overlooked, yet can absolutely benefit from social emotional instructional support. One challenge our competitors pose is having a larger institutional backing that helps their financial overhead.