TEACHING JOHNNY TO BE GOOD
Rosenblatt states that character education was a "subject unheard of a generation ago." On the contrary, in the 1960's and 70's there was intense interest in teaching values in school. One strong impetus came out of the human-potential movement and another out of Lawrence Kohlberg's work on the theory of moral development.
Interestingly, the public schools in 19th-century America adopted not only the rhetoric but the practice of character education. Using the famous McGuffey's Eclectic Readers, virtues were fostered, including thrift honesty, piety, punctuality and industry.
Yes, let's address the matter of values and character in the rearing of our young. But let's examine and learn from our long history with this issue. JOSEPH KIRSCHNER Evanston, Ill.