My Life of Selfishness Intro to Leadership CS 207

Learning Target Day#14? I can explain the cause and effect of selfish behaviors and identify negatives of living a selfish life. Do you think that people are naturally selfish? (Explain your answer) Who are you grateful for today? (Explain why)

If you haven’t done this already…. Have the class draw a clock in their notebook (you are going to want to have this physically somewhere. Then have your class go around the room and find a partner for each time. If Ben is my 3o’clock partner then i write his name there and he writes mine.

My Life of Selfishness See lesson notes

Have students come up with examples for each one. Then have students find their 3, 6, 9 , and 12 o’clock partners to share so they will share 4 different times.

Selfishness We don’t have to be taught to be selfish – that comes naturally. So, where in your life have you learned not to be selfish? 2. Is it only our parent/guardian’s job to teach us to not be selfish? Who else should have a responsibility to teach selflessness?

In the following video you will meet Phil Connors – a character in the movie Groundhog Day. It is important to understand that Phil represents our natural selfishness, because we are all capable of making selfish choices.

Listen closely to the lines that are included in the poem that Rita recites titled ‘The Wretch.’ We are going to breakdown this poem and how it connects to the selfishness we battle daily in our lives.

You might want to have this printed for kids to write on as they break it down.

Who is Your Person?

Who is your person? Think of the person who in your life is the hardest to be kind and selfless towards without telling anyone that person’s name. Write down a code name for that person, but it has to be a positive superhero or cartoon character name like Wonder Woman, Batman, or Mickey or Minnie Mouse. What are three reasons why you feel it is hard to be kind and selfless toward that person. What responsibility should you have in changing your actions toward this person and why?

Final Thoughts The author Daniel Goleman in his book, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, says, ‘Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection – or compassionate action.’ Reflect and respond to this quote- What does it mean? How does it relate to what we have been doing/learning? Other thoughts and feelings.