What is Character Education?
The Definition of Character Education
Character education involves teaching children about basic human values
including honesty, kindness, generosity, courage, freedom, equality,
and respect. The goal is to raise children to become morally
responsible, self-disciplined citizens. Problem solving, decision
making, and conflict resolution are important parts of developing moral
character. Through role playing and discussions, students can see that
their decisions affect other people and things.
Source: From The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, by
J. L. McBrien & R. S. Brandt, pp. 17-18, 1997, Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Understanding Character
A lot of times, we hear people talk about someone as a man of
character. Other times, someone might be described as an unreliable
character. Sometimes, we hear them referred to as quite a character!
When people begin to talk about character, there could be a dozen
different shades to their tone. They might be sounding impressed, awed,
disgusted, frightened, amused, bemused or a combination of these
reactions.
What exactly is character? The dictionary would tell you that it is,
basically, an attribute or a quality that defines a person. This means
that you are defined by a certain set of habits, qualities or attitudes
and these form the basis upon which you character is judged.
Character can have positive or negative associations. For instance,
when someone is called a man of character, the unsaid adjective is a
positive one. It means that he is ethically and morally upright and can
be trusted. When someone is just a character, it means that he is
unique. He could be funny, awkward, interesting or ridiculous. But he
has a strong distinctive personality that sets him apart from others.
Every attribute of you goes into the building of your character. If
someone were to describe YOU as a character, they would take into
consideration all aspects of your personality, including your physical
appearance, your social habits, your psychological reactions and other
people’s perception of your strengths. In fact, the last aspect – other
people’s perceptions of you character – is what goes into giving you a
reputation, whether positive or negative. Author: Annie Zaidi. Copyright
2004.
indianchild.com
The Character Education Movement
Character Education is a national movement creating schools that foster
ethical, responsible, and caring young people by modeling and teaching
good character through an emphasis on universal values that we all
share. It is the intentional, proactive effort by schools, districts,
and states to instill in their students important core, ethical values
such as respect for self and others, responsibility, integrity, and
self-discipline. It provides long-term solutions that address moral,
ethical, and academic issues that are of growing concern about our
society and the safety of our schools. Character education may address
such critical issues as student absenteeism, discipline problems, drug
abuse, gang violence, teen pregnancy, and poor academic performance. At
its best, character education integrates positive values into every
aspect of the school day.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charactereducation/
Shell Knob School studies one of the following character traits each Month
Responsible - September
To be reliable, dependable, and accountable by admitting mistakes (but learn from them).
Respect - October
To value, honor, admire and be accepting of differences.
Courteous - November
To be polite, mannerly, and gracious.
Kindness- December
To be caring, show concern and patience toward others.
Attitude - January
To develop a pleasant disposition, check body language signs, and control opinions.
Tolerance - February
To show acceptance in differences and uniqueness of others.
Fairness - March
To show honesty, truthfulness, and sincerity.
Courage - April
To develop self-reliance, independence, and moral strength.
Citizenship - May
To do the right thing for family, school, community, and environment.
10 Tips for Raising Children of Character
10 Tips for Raising Children of Character.pdf(PDF file - requires Adobe Reader)
100 Ideas for Implementing Character Education
100 Ideas for Implementing Character Education.pdf(PDF file - requires Adobe Reader)
Helpful Character Education Links
Links to even more Character Education websites
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/chared.htm
Teaching Guides for Good Character
http://www.goodcharacter.com/EStopics.html