This week’s readings and reflection in Survey of Instructional Strategies focused on character education and its place in our schools. As a teacher at a Jesuit, private school, character education exists in nearly all, if not all, aspects of Seattle Prep. From athletics to ASB to academics, the mission of the school is to create “men and women for others”. This can ONLY be accomplished through character education. While not all teachers have this same luxury, it is as important for us at Prep to create strong, compassionate young people in spirit as well as academics.
I think that for many teachers, morals don’t need to be taught. In fact, I think many are scared, so to speak, to teach morals because of their connection with organized religion. In the public schools, this enters a territory of uneasiness. Therefore, many teachers revert to the cliché that values are “better taught than caught”. C.S. Lewis and some other philosophers agree in “it is more effectively communicated by informal means through the implicit example of a teacher’s kindness, visibility of community role models, and the actions of moral exemplars perceived through great literature” (Williams). Yet, no matter whether one is teaching in a private or public school, the character education aspect should be included in the regular curriculum.
How does one accomplish this? As we discussed in the forum this week, teaching citizenship and moral decision making can help teach character education. I believe that I can include students in making choices about lessons, timing of quizzes, and even homework load. When the students are forced to defend their decision, they learn that while having choice is part of a democratic society, so is justifying one’s decision. Lastly, I teach moral decision-making through presenting both sides of a situation (which works great in a Social Studies course) and letting students pick. They, again, must defend their choice with specific evidence. Through these type of situations in class, I am helping teach character, as well as trying to model it in my own life.