Why is Character Education Necessary?
(The following information has been
adapted from “Developing Habits of the Heart”,
a character curriculum by Valerie Huber)
Why Character?
Since the beginning of formal education, teaching to the
heart of the child has been every bit as important as teaching
to the mind. >From Aristotle to our Founding Fathers
to McGuffy - all realized that knowledge apart from virtue
was of little value and indeed, could be very dangerous.
What is Character?
Aristotle defined good character as “right conduct,
continually expressed through virtuous behavior toward oneself
(such as self control, and self respect) and toward others
(such as kindness and respect)”. These two parts of
character are inseparable because the conduct we demonstrate
toward ourselves affects others and how we act toward others
affects ourselves as well. For example, if a person demonstrates
self control by refraining from taking something that belongs
to another (even though he might really want it), that person
has demonstrated not merely self control, but also respect
for another’s property, thus impacting self-oriented
virtues and other-oriented virtues.
Why is Character Important?
Collectively, our Founding Fathers understood that a nation
of freedom could never continue its existence apart from
the moral restraint of its citizens (that is, the knowledge
of right and wrong and conduct based on that understanding).
A cursory study of the writings and lives of our Founders
demonstrates that self control and sacrifice were virtues
that propelled their courageous decision to put all their
worldly interests at stake to gain freedom from England.
Many did, indeed, lose their fortunes, their properties,
or even their families, as a result of their decision –
thus practically demonstrating the interconnectedness between
self-oriented and other-oriented virtues.
The schools of the colonial and revolutionary era continued
the Aristotelian practice of teaching to both the heart
and the mind. A contemporary of this era, Daniel Webster,
summed up the dual purpose of education:
“Knowledge does not comprise all which is contained
in the large term ‘education’. The feelings
are to be disciplined, the passions are to be restrained,
true and worthy motives are to be instilled, and pure morality
inculcated under all circumstances. All this is comprised
in education “
Throughout American history, educators and learned leaders
have seen the necessity of teaching and reinforcing simple
virtues such as honesty, respect and responsibility. McGuffey
and his Readers were developed to connect reading with the
understanding of moral truths. Each story put practical
examples of virtue to the forefront, taught character lessons
and then stressed the importance of that behavior. These
Readers have endured time and are even enjoying a renewed
appreciation because people again understand the need for
teaching virtue along with knowledge.
President Theodore Roosevelt has been often quoted with
his discerning comment: “To educate a person in mind
and not in morals is to educate a menace to society”.
Think about that statement for a moment and it doesn’t
take long to connect horrific events in history for validity
of those words. Hitler, considered by many to be a genius,
sought the annihilation of entire races and groups of people.
The teens that stormed the library at Columbine High School
knew that murder was wrong, but lacked the character virtues
of respect for others, self-control and kindness –
and so killed many of their classmates in unbridled anger.
Background checks of death row inmates would find that a
great many of them are intelligent (many extremely intelligent)
individuals who used their intelligence for evil rather
than good, and so Theodore Roosevelt spoke volumes when
he connected moral training to education in knowledge.
Societal ills have never been solved by knowledge or merely
understanding the problem. If that were the case, then we
should never see drug use among doctors or tax evasion among
lawyers or STDs among epidemiologists. Knowing the dangers
of risk behaviors have never translated into healthy risk-free
behavior until the person has character strength along with
their gained knowledge to make good decisions. Former U.S.
Congressman, J.C. Watts, said it very well when he said,
“Character is who you are when nobody is looking”.
Character is the foundation that makes sense of every action
and circumstance in life.
What are the components of good character?
One of the foremost modern-day authorities and champions
for character education is Thomas Likona. He presents the
following as essential components of good character in his
book, Educating for Character:
“Character – has three interrelated parts:
moral knowing, moral feeling and moral behavior. Good character
consists of knowing the good, desiring the good and doing
the good – habits of the mind, habits of the heart
and habits of action. All three are necessary for leading
a moral life; all three make up moral maturity. When we
think about the kind of character we want for our children,
its’ clear that we want them to be able to judge what
is right, care deeply about what is right, and then do what
they believe to be right – even in the face of pressure
from without and temptation from within”.
What Mr. Likona is saying is that even peer pressure pales
in comparison to the character strength one has inside –
if it is nurtured and developed. Good character is not something
one can learn in elementary school and then be set for life.
Character is learned, esteemed, habitually acted upon, and
fine-tuned over the entire course of one’s life. Developing
and strengthening character is a lifelong process that should
begin when one is very young and then expand and integrate
all life experiences. Knowing the good and then doing the
virtuous should be the foundational principle of wise decision-making.
Wisdom understands how to use acquired knowledge wisely
and then acts upon that understanding.
Does character education really make a
difference?
Several studies have been done to test the effectiveness
of character education. The results have all been similar
– pointing to a marked decrease in behavioral referrals
in the classroom, and increased teaching time because more
time can be spent on activities related to learning rather
than discipline. Those results were to be expected, but
perhaps more surprising was an increase in test scores and
decrease in student absence and in teacher attrition after
character education was implemented in a school. Teacher
and student satisfaction and positive anticipation for school
were directly related to the school environment. Tests scores
increased because distractions were reduced, and respect
for the teacher and learning increased. Character education
impacts the total school in a similar way to its effect
on the individual internalizing character qualities- building,
strengthening and improving both.
Whose Character Qualities Should
be taught?
This question is frequently asked with concern and an askance
eye. Of course, this is a very important question and one
that certainly deserves discussion. Recently, character
education has become a favorite topic for those who have
less than honorable goals. Some have sought to hide their
political agendas under the guise of “character education”.
The character qualities that will be mentioned on this site,
however, are those qualities that transcend time, place,
and ethnicity; in other words, the virtues are universal,
and esteemed throughout history and the world. Respect &
responsibility, for example, are of major importance. It
is respect that keeps us from doing what we shouldn’t
do to harm others; and it is responsibility that causes
us to act upon what we know we should do. They are essentially
two sides of the same coin. One cannot operate in a vacuum
apart from the other and one will find that many virtues
have components that overlap other character qualities.
For example, if we are honest, then we will show respect
for others by not stealing. Honesty, however, also demonstrates
responsibility when we admit that we’ve done wrong
and are willing to suffer the consequences of our actions.
Special emphasis will be given to the monthly character
qualities adopted by the Darke County Character Council
in partnership with Character First! This emphasis and supplementary
information will be helpful to teachers who wish to implement
these qualities in their
How Can I teach character when I have so many other mandated
requirements on my school day?
This is another valid question! The increasing requirements
of proficiency tests, school report cards, and the myriad
of federal and state mandates, easily gobbles up the bulk
of the school day. Rather than being another “class”
that one must prepare for, teach, and test – character
education should be a school wide infusion of character
principles. The weekly introduction of the principle, by
teacher, counselor, or volunteer, can take as little as
15 minutes. After that time, other reinforcement and teaching
of the quality can be infused into the regular school day.
Here are a few examples:
Most students are required to write in a journal. A topic
for the journal entry can be related to the character quality
currently being stressed. Most students are also given silent
reading assignments. A book can be chosen where the character
exemplifies the quality being studied. Inside recesses are
often a part of winter schedules and “movie treats”
are often given as incentives for good behavior. Both of
these examples are ideal places to show a video that stresses
the character quality being studied. Bulletin boards can
talk about the qualities; discipline measures can include
positive reinforcement for exemplifying strength of character.
For example, rather than limiting discipline only to correction,
good behavior can be rewarded and encouraged by giving students
“I’ve been caught being respectful “ stickers
(which may be redeemed for special privileges) when he/she
shows respect to another. Every subject can strengthen the
teaching of the highlighted character quality, taking absolutely
no time from actual instruction. Character education is
really about looking for those teachable moments throughout
the day and then seizing them!
Character education is a commitment to a mindset rather
than committing to a particular curriculum. It changes the
way we see the day and the opportunities encompassed within
that day. It erases territorial issues and resolves to work
in one accord for the good of the student. Honesty, for
example, should be expected in the classroom for homework
assignments, in the lunchroom for meal purchase, on the
playground for interpersonal relationships, and in the principal’s
office when dealing with a discipline issue.
Effective character education, then, should be a commitment
for every person on staff at your school - teachers, administrators,
lunchroom attendants, custodians, librarians, and recesses
monitors. Each person, on the same page, will be so much
more effective in teaching, reinforcing, and expecting behavior
of character, than one person – working independently
of all others.
This is also true for parents. Most families regard character
strengths as important and vital to their family structure
and maintenance. Others would like to teach character to
their children, but don’t have the skills to do so.
A few have absolutely no interest in character training.
We realize that the family is the most important place where
education takes place and parents have a unique responsibility
for teaching character to their children. That is why the
“Home Works” section on this site is an integral
part. These short letters to parents present what the highlighted
quality for the week is, explain the content of the lesson,
suggest discussion questions for parent and child and then
give ideas for home implementation of that quality. In so
doing, it strengthens the message of those parents who are
already doing a fine job in teaching character to their
children, gives ideas to those parents who are not currently
teaching character to their children, but would like to,
and hopefully, causes those parents who have no interest
in virtue to give second thoughts to their values.
Further, we know that any message, heard in many ways and
by a variety of people, will be given more serious consideration.
Character, as discussed earlier, is not a “course”
where one can “learn” definitions and then be
competent or “be character literate”. Character
choices affect every moment of our existence. We are called
upon to use those strengths at the most inopportune times
and places. Robert Woodson, the motivator behind many inner-city
revitalization projects and author of The Triumphs of Joseph,
recently told an audience that each day he commits to “doing
the right thing, especially when it’s inconvenient”.
This is the value we can give to our students – tomorrow’s
leaders. Strength of character will give them the courage
to say “no” when tempted to make a bad decision.
They must know that throughout life, they will be called
upon to make choices, some easy, some difficult. It is the
choices they make, that will define them as individuals,
which will cause them to be considered as individuals of
integrity. Consider this quote by John Ruskin, an English
sociologist and philanthropist from the 19th Century:
“Education does not mean teaching people what they
do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do
not behave. It is not teaching the youth the shapes of letters
and the tricks of numbers, and then leaving them to turn
their arithmetic to roguery, and their literature to lust.
It means, on the contrary, training them into the perfect
exercise and kingly continence of their bodies and souls.
It is a painful, continual and difficult work to be done
by kindness, by watching, by warning, by precept and by
praise, but above all – by example.”
Teaching
Character | Implementing
Character | Character
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