About Character Education
Character education stems from the idea that we establish our standards for action based upon the ideals and behaviors we learn from others. Usually, we can imagine, those "others" are people whom we admire—our heroes, peers, or individuals we learn about who display characteristics and beliefs that we'd like to have. For one person, that "other" may be a figure who comes from a religious tradition. To another person, he or she might be a superstar, or a sports hero.
The point is that we identify behaviors, beliefs and attitudes that we admire in other individuals, and we gear our behaviors to be like them. This is an idea that's not so new, but what character education has contributed is the conviction that one of the most powerful tools in this process is the use of story in motivating us to think and act differently.
Beginnings
Generally speaking, character education began with the idea that we think about our lives in storied form. This, in turn, resulted in a curriculum in which literature was used as a foundation for teaching ethical ideals. During reading times and English classes, students encountered stories that presented an ethical issue, and they were led to consider the choices of the character(s) as they tried to resolve the dilemmas.
The impact of character education came in the personal application — having identified a "moral hero," activities and service projects helped students apply the principle of the story to their own lives. Often, the character education curriculum was organized around what were identified as "universal values," or ethical traits that the stories promoted (such as justice, respect, responsibility, etc.). Many character education programs are still wholly based upon this approach, and a number of curricula are available which provide reading materials for schools to use.
Beyond the Curriculum
Character education has, however, grown into a movement that extends far beyond the use of literature in the reading or English curriculum. One lesson per day or week has simply not been enough to make an impact on our youth.
At the core of character education is now the understanding that whenever any academic subject or skill is being taught, ideas about truth, right and wrong are also being transmitted. These are concepts that provide the foundations for ethics in a community (what is good, right, or how we ought to behave), and thus schools are increasingly being seen as important teachers and reinforcers of ethical behavior. If they are ultimately going to prepare students to become principled members in a community beyond school, many educators are realizing that schools must become ethical communities themselves.
This establishment of community requires an agreement about the principles that guide ethical behavior, as well as awareness that each person comes to this understanding from a very different background, cultural experience, and perhaps a different emphasis on the values that are identified as "core."
Again, that's where character education comes in. The traits formerly limited to stories are now becoming the foundation of a school; focusing on a set of core values that guide behavior and offer a set of ideals to head students toward. Simply stated, beyond being a mere curriculum, character education has become a vision and a process for a school. The core values of a character education program as it is now conceived are nurtured to permeate the entire culture of a school.
Often, the most logical first step in this type of program is for school or university stakeholders to broaden their view of the impact education can have on students. Next, community members (or as many stakeholders as possible) enter into a dialogue to agree upon the values that are primary to the school as a community. This process heightens educators' awareness (including teachers, administrators, staff and parents) of their power to challenge students.
Teaching and learning is transformed from learning knowledge and skills to encouraging students to develop a heart for ethical principles, and the knowledge to live according to personal standards. All of this is realized through the integration of lessons about virtues into the daily classes of a school (in all subject areas). Those principles that were initially agreed upon by stakeholders become the foundation for all school activities (and the meat of a code of conduct).
Through character education, students learn to understand the subtlety of personal difference, while being encouraged to adopt shared values.
DoesThis Really Work?
These are all premises that sound abstract at first, but they begin to make sense when we ponder our own lives.
For starters, think about your answer to the question, "How are you doing today?" Your usual answer might be to say, "I'm doing fine, thank you," or "I'm really lousy." But if the inquirer asked you why you answered as you did, you would be likely to tell your listener a story about yourself. "I was running late for school because the dog wouldn't come inside. I was thinking in the car about the chaos there would be when I finally got to class, and I went through a light that I'm sure was still yellow. But there he was, a police officer! He stopped me, and gave me a ticket. I'm so mad…" or so the story might go. When we really take the time to talk to each other about ourselves, we do it by telling each other stories.
Ever wonder why soap operas have lasted for years and years on television (despite some really far-fetched story lines)? Or why shows like ER and Seinfeld have the legacy they do? The easy answer is to say that they provide entertainment, and they do. But they also draw us in…we become interested in the characters, the story lines, and then we're hooked. We come back for more. Where were you when JR got shot? How about the moment the jury announced the OJ verdict? You were glued to a TV set, probably. The same can be said for movies — the ones we'd give the Oscar to are the ones that move us. Perhaps the actors are attractive or repulsive (in other words, believable), or the story is truthful. Maybe it tells us something about love, or it's so full of action that it keeps us guessing. No matter what the argument, we are captured by the stories, and that stirs us.
The Character Education of Our Past
It is that intellectual and emotional movement within us that motivates us to adopt the traits we witness in other people and characters into our own lives. It has been happening for centuries.
In some of the earliest days of our civilization, character education took the form of mentoring or discipleship. For example, Plato learned from Socrates in a very disciplined and personal way. For years Plato traveled with and reasoned with Socrates, learning not only what his teacher knew, but how he lived. After their time, the pair's conversations became stories that were told to others to challenge their thinking. Plato eventually drew from the character traits he had learned from his tutor to contribute thoughts that continue to influence us today.
We also know that during these early times, the history and tradition of a group were passed down from generation to generation in the form of stories. Elders told children the tales of their days, and children adopted the "morals of the stories" (think, for example, of Aesop's Fables).
Character Education Today
Today, quite obviously, that intensified form of mentoring and storytelling doesn't happen as frequently. Our proximity to the people who have an impact on us has changed quite dramatically, but the process itself has not.
That's why stories and explanations have become even more powerful — stories and strong characters put us in touch with one another. We are still moved by the stories we hear about other people in the news, so much so that we send money in the mail to help others who are in need. Oprah has the ability to get thousands of us to read new books every few months. And perhaps most influential in guiding our behavior are our families, and the history of our lives together that we laugh about and live by.
What these phenomena reveal to us is that very often the things which are important to us are also important to others (who may or may not be just like us). We could even argue that in these examples, there are some values present that we hold in common. Where we see oppressed people in the news, we can often find agreement with others that justice and respect are important ideals to uphold. And thus the foundation for a community begins.
As we think about improving the principles upon which our communities are built, one additional source of great impact emerges — our educators. School is the place where the greatest number of our children spend the largest portion of their day. For this reason, character education has thus far been a school-based movement.
It is, however, growing to include more and more programs and interests. And, as stated previously, it is a movement that has extended itself beyond a use of literature to a shared understanding and a set of values that are the foundation for all the disciplines. As character education gains greater recognition, so, too, does its method extend in greater numbers of programs, organizations and approaches.
