If character development does not take place at home it must be acquired somewhere else. There are a lot of various organizations that are meant to instill values in children such as the various scout organizations. In fact the Boy Scout motto is Be Prepared and the mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare the children who join their organization to make ethical and moral choices that will go with them for their entire lives. The organization was established over 100 years ago and the values are as valid today as they were then. It is just that children dont have the parents or authorities or whomever to instill these character traits in them unless they are taught character education in the classroom.
To quote the Boy Scout website, A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. And all of these words have meaning. They are good strong words that are meant to reflect good strong children who grow up into good strong adults. Unfortunately many teachers do not have the training to teach character education in the classroom. But there are many schools that have made it their mission to teach character development to the children who enter their schools. These character education schools have taken this responsibility upon themselves. They believe that children taught character will be a benefit to both them and to the society as a whole.
Just as the Boy Scouts of America have values also so do the schools that are teaching these values or character traits. Some of these values are things such as having a suitable and positive behavior, or having respect and compassion for other people. Just recognizing that some people are different and accepting that difference is a part of character education and growth.
There are many ways for teachers to teach character development. One of them is to assign certain reading materials that highlight this character development. Or another way is to engage children who have observed someone who is a bully and get them to interact with each other and the teacher and have them discuss this person. Ask hard questions like do you approve of this behavior or ask them what they would do different. One of the precepts of character education is getting a child to think about their actions and the actions of others. If a child begins to think about different actions then perhaps they will then think of the different outcomes of their actions.
Perhaps the children can write an essay as part of the school assignment so that they are forced to actually give some thought to various actions whoever had taken them. If children are not taught these basic concepts when young such as the Boy Scouts do, then they may have missed their chance to ever learn them. If so they will not be a benefit to society but a burden in the long run which is not beneficial to them.
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Character Education
Character education is a term which is often heard and everyone claims to know what this term means. But in actual terms there are not so many people who have a clear understanding of this very important phrase. To comprehend this term, let’s begin with the term character. What is character? A character is the reflection of ones personality. Your traits, your habits, what you do, what you say, the way you walk, talk, eat, deal with people all comprises your character and personality.
Character education is, as defined by Lickona, “the deliberate, proactive effort to develop good character in kids—or, more simply, to teach children right from wrong. It assumes that right and wrong do exist, that there are objective moral standards that transcend individual choice—standards like respect, responsibility, honesty, and fairness—and that we should teach these directly to young people.”
In simpler words, character education means teaching good moral values, giving a concept of right and wrong, good and evil.
Providing character education to kids includes all kind of your interaction with them, it’s in the way you talk to them, the behaviors you exhibit, the actions you encourage etc. In your every kind of dealing with the kids, no matter who you are, you are always contributing towards building their characters.A common perception is that a child starts the education when he/she goes to school. But it is not correct. In fact the education begins from home. They are the parents and the family that contribute the most towards building up the child’s character.
All parents want their children to posses an excellent character, with all positive traits in them. This is not an easy task. It imposes a lot of responsibility on the part of the parents. It’s their duty to filter their child’s activities so that it leads to his positive character building. Here comes a conflict of opinion. Some parents tend to adopt the system of rewards and penalties to bring their children to the correct path. But this act is not so effective because the kids should themselves be able to discriminate between right and wrong so that in the long run, even under pressurized circumstances, they should be able to take fair decisions on their own.After the parents and family, next two most influential factors are teachers and school environment. The school authorities are responsible to include direct teaching of character education under school curriculum. Students visualize their teachers as role models. Therefore the teachers can play a very significant role in the character building of their students. Teaching emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse like any truly human activity. Being a good teacher does not only mean to have a complete grasp over your subject but it also demands be morally fair too in your dealings and talks. In a more formal way, one can say that good teaching comes from good people. Education does not only include teaching the curriculum and the technical stuff. But it also means to deliver good moral values to their students and if delivered in a correct way, this leads to the positive character building of the student. There should be regular seminars, conferences and character education programs conducted for the teachers by the school authorities, telling them how to indulge into positive character education of the students and also enlightening them with the fact that they hold very imperative position in the character building of their students. This will develop a sense of responsibility in teachers and they will feel themselves liable for the character building of their students. Effective character education is not which is only practiced by teachers but also it must be modeled by all other adults in the school with whom the student interacts like faculty, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff etc.
For providing proper character education it is very important to know the basic building blocks of a good character. Some of the attributes which are of foremost importance in building a good character are justice, self discipline and control, gratitude, wisdom, integrity, humanity, fortitude, hard work, love and positive attitude.
Media and books are also very important means of character education. Reading stories with a good moral generally inspires children, young boys and girls. Watching TV programs that deliver a lesson can also be very helpful in this regard.
Character educating no doubt holds the same importance in life as the normal technical education. Therefore this part should not be ignored and one should contribute to the maximum in positive character building of the people for whom he/she is liable for.
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Character Education Role of Schools in Preventing Teenage Pregnancy
Before we take a look into the different methods that can be implemented to prevent teenage pregnancy let's see what facts does a recent study reveals. The particular research looks into certain facts that teacher, counselors, parents and even the school administrators should be aware of:
* Even though the teen pregnancy rate has shown a decline in the United States over the past decade, the rate is still significantly higher than that of other industrialized countries.
* Each year, between the ages of 15 to 19 years, over half a million teenagers gives birth in the United States.
* The incidence of teenage pregnancy is seen more among poor young women of color in the United States.
* Children who are born to such teen mothers are more likely to have been abused.
* During their pregnancy period they are more likely to be physically abused than adult women.
* The United States Government spends over billion each year towards expenses related to teenage pregnancy.
* Only 30 – 35% of teen mothers continue to complete their High School education.
Now, let's take a look at how Public schools can adopt the four methodologies outlined in the Character Education curriculum to prevent teenage pregnancies.
1. All schools should uphold the value of self-esteem and academic success which in turn will help in reducing the possibility of immoral behavior among teenagers.
2. By applying Character Education programs that include support, recreation, counseling and tutoring, high-risk behaviors before teen pregnancy can be substantially brought down.
3. Character education should also include programs and activities aimed at positive youth development. Youth development activities and programs should be built around these three important topics – Connectedness, Self assurance and Character.
* Through Connectedness Character education instills a state of security, close association with others and a sense that they belong to a specific group.
* Topics on Self assurance help teenagers to have high self-worth, and feeling of control on their life.
* Through teaching the value of Character a teenager feels competent enough to attain their career of choice and a satisfying relationship with their family, peers and others.
Character education not only should the incidence of teenage pregnancy but also should promote student achievement. All schools need to set high principles and values for all their students and should embrace proper evaluation and testing strategies to implement effective character education curriculum.
4. Teachers, counselors, school administrators and parents need to work mutually to share a common vision about character education curriculum that is more effective in order to impart in all students.
Academic instruction isn't the only responsibility teachers have in today's classrooms. More and more, teachers are being called on to teach students about values ... things like making good decisions, the showing of respect, taking responsibility, choosing friends, and having a positive attitude. It's a responsibility that could be overwhelming, considering the limited hours available in a school day, the number of kids in the classroom, and the diversity of backgrounds and personalities each child represents.
Character Education by Just Do The Right Thing" is a practical and powerful tool that equips educators to tackle values training with confidence.
By: Francis David
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