Plumb Line Precepts
Plumb Line is a year-long character formation curriculum for middle school students, built around short statements they can remember and call upon when making difficult decisions.
With all the information we receive everyday, it helps tremendously for us to have a clear, common vocabulary to call upon when mentoring and teaching young people.
The precepts in Plumb Line have been collected through real work in school. Each one reaches the student (and teacher), adding to a common accountability of thought and conduct.
Students begin by writing who they intend to become. The reflection belongs to them. Then, throughout the year, they will be confronted with the real decisions they need to make to achieve their vision. The precepts become the framework by which they will understand what choices should be made.
Sixteen precepts sit inside a course that runs about thirty-two weeks, with teacher guidance and a printed student page for each.
At the close of the year, students revisit their vision for themselves, the steps they've taken toward that vision and commit to continued words, habits, and actions that will lead them forward.
Teacher guidance opens the conversation without a script and checklist. Student pages are designed for one sitting, with material that changes by grade level while the precepts remain the same.
What it looks like
Each precept comes with a teacher guidance page — discussion moves, background reading, CASEL and standards alignment, timing, and a care note for sensitive topics.
Plumb Line Precepts is for classroom teachers, advisory and homeroom leads, homeschool parents, and school leaders who want a substantial weekly practice without a curriculum adoption cycle.