Character Education

1. Character Education Bringing Integrity and Citizenship to the Classroom – Bruce Younger

2. Objectives for “Character Education” • Objectives- Learners will be able to: • Identify what is considered to be Character Education • Identify the controversial aspects Character Education • Debate why parents feel children should or shouldn’treceive Character Education from a third party

3. What do we think “Character Education” is? • Fairness • Citizenship • Compassion • Honesty • Respect • Human Dignity • Integrity • Responsibility Image credit: Lewistonschools.net

4. Not Everyone thinks Character Education Important? “Character Education, I’m fine the way I am” “I know my child … if he has a problem he’ll come to me.” “Our children don’t need character education, we set a nice example for them” Image Credit: www.charactercourses.com

5. Survey Says? Students feel that they are being properly educated by their parents. • Do students think that adults are doing enough to teach them ethical behavior? • Most students believe that their parents are: 83.2% said that their "parents always want them to do the ethically right thing, no matter what the cost." • But, 16.8% of parents, more than 5.8 million, believe it's sometimes permissible to do something ethically wrong. Read more: "Teachers and Teaching - Character Education" - http://social.jrank.org/pages/963/Teachers-Teaching-Character-Education.html#ixzz0G9CCjDVY&A Image Credit: wesleylamar.org

6. What is Controversial Character Ed? Image Credits: newportacademy.com; qualvu.com

7. What is Controversial Character Ed? • Promiscuity and Sexual Education

8. What is Controversial Character Ed? • Physical and Sexual Abuse

9. What is Controversial Character Ed? • Substance Abuse Image Credit: majorjoewilson.info

10. What is Controversial Character Ed? • Teenage Peer Pressure Image Credit: newportacademy.com

11. What is Controversial Character Ed? • Social Insecurity Image Credit: qualvu.com

12. Survey Says? Almost all high school students agreed that it is important for them to have good character. • Over 90% said that they are satisfied with their own ethics and character. • But, as the rest of the data show, most students lied, cheated, and exhibited violent behavior in the year before the survey was taken. • 82.1% of high school students believe that it is permissible to lie, cheat, steal, and hit another person. • A sizeable minority of students stole from parents, relatives, or a store. • 10% of students are not satisfied with their own ethics and character, some students do find their behavior ethically wrong. Read more: "Teachers and Teaching - Character Education" - http://social.jrank.org/pages/963/Teachers-Teaching-Character-Education.html#ixzz0G9DKCARA&A Image credit: www.nche.gov.mt

13. On the positive side –What parents say about Character Ed • “Parents and school are partners in a child’s development, education and character molding. One without the other cannot be a success.” • “It is essential that [children] hear the messages of character values from more than one place. It is helpful that the major influences in their lives (parents, church, school) are giving them the same messages.” • “Parents and school are partners in child’s development, education and character molding. One without the other cannot be a success.” Important:Character Education is a very controversial issue in today’s educational system. Some believe that all schools should implement some sort of character education program http://www.otal.umd.edu Image credit: www.kinkaid.org

14. On the negative side –What parents say about Character Ed • “My childrens’ character education started well before they entered the school system and continues at home on a daily basis.” • “I think the school system works a little too hard in this area, to the point that I feel like the school sees itself as having primary responsibility for character ed.” • “The school systems efforts are reinforcing what we teach our child at home but it is not necessary for our child to do so much of it at school because she gets that at home and at church.” Important:Many people feel that it is not the schools place to teach what is right and wrong. Many people feel it is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children how to behave and make ethical decisions http://www.otal.umd.edu Image credit www.kinkaid.org

15. What can schools do? • "To educate a person in mind and not in morals," said Theodore Roosevelt, "is to educate a menace to society.“ What can schools do? http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=J0E020147608807&site=ehost-live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I-a3c0r7j4

16. Assessment: • What are some categories of Character Education? • Honesty • Integrity • Citizenship • Respect • What are some controversial issues around Character Education • Promiscuity/Sexual Education • Sexual Abuse • Peer Pressure • Social insecurity • How do some parents feel about Character Education? • Most parents expect the schools to teach it • Most parents feel Character Education is only their business