“Don’t forget to say please!” I say for what feels like the thousandth time that day. I am trying to instill good manners in my children, and I think I have repeated that phrase a million times in the last eight years. I may or may not be exaggerating. The world is complicated and busy, but really taking the time to appreciate what others are doing, using kind words, and making good choices concerning the people around us are important to me. Really important. My husband and I have told our children countless times that people remember kindnesses. It feels good to be nice. It’s easy to be good. But our kids aren’t with us all the time. As they get older, they are spending an increasing amount of time with their teachers and their peers, so their values impact my children directly. To the extent it’s still in our control, we want our kids surrounded by people who place importance on treating other people with respect and kindness.
In a world where stories of bullying inundate our newsfeeds and where innovative types of media pop up every day that make it easier for people to say cruel things to one another anonymously, our hope to raise caring, sensitive adults feels small and powerless. It would feel practically futile except we are not alone. There are millions of parents out there who want their children to care in a meaningful way about the world and people around them. Although many of these parents look to religious schools and places of worship to help promote these principles, my family, like many others, is largely a secular one. Because of this, it’s essential that my children’s school value character education as much as we do because much of our children’s waking lives are spent there. When teachers and school administrators help to create a “whole child,” children can gain new perspective on what it means to be a good person, a real contributor to our world.
This concept of school-based character development is not new. In fact, most pre-schools focus much of their time “socializing” their students. Teaching children to use their words, to be kind to one another, to not strike or tease one another is part of learning how to thrive in our society and grow as a person. Unfortunately, as children grow older, exposure to emotional education can decrease. As elementary schools prioritize academics over socialization, these important life skills can be marginalized within a school setting.
This is not always the case, however. In a refreshing trend, this idea of creating an educational environment where children learn how to treat other people is now extending itself beyond the pre-school setting and becoming more pervasive in private schools around the country.
At the prestigious Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, the school incorporates character education into the fabric of its education. As indicated in their on-line brochure:
Nothing is more important to us than building character. The entire Brunswick community is committed to instilling in our boys, by example and through experience, the qualities all true gentlemen possess — qualities that will make them respectful, courageous, honest, and honorable sons, friends, leaders, and citizens.
http://admissions.brunswickschool.org.
How is this character education incorporated into a school’s curriculum? At the academically rigorous Hackley School in Westchester, New York, the following phrase is etched into one of its stone arched entrances:
“Enter Here to Be and Find a Friend”
This unofficial motto is a cornerstone of Hackley’s core values. To reinforce the meaning behind the message, Hackley’s Lower School has instituted a virtue of the month, including traits like Patience, Appreciation, and Responsibility. There is a teacher resource guide for such virtues, which includes suggested classroom activities, classroom readings, and even ideas for parental involvement. Through these activities and a culture that promotes the importance of character, teachers can encourage students to appreciate and implement this valued behavior in their interactions with one another on a daily basis. It is through this integration of values into its classrooms that Hackley creates an “even better, safer, kinder, and more supportive school environment for our students, our staff, and our community.” http://www.hackleyschool.org/Page/Student-Life/Lower-School/Character-Education—LS.
It’s not just the schools and parents that value character education. Teachers at schools that emphasize character education appreciate the impact that it can have on its students. Jessica Lahey, a writer and teacher at the Crossroads Academy in Lyme, Connecticut, writes enthusiastically about what character education means to her:
“I have come to understand what real character education looks like and what it can do for children. . . . Schools that teach character education report higher academic performance, improved attendance, reduced violence, fewer disciplinary issues, reduction in substance abuse, and less vandalism. . . . From a practical perspective, it’s simply easier to teach children who can exercise patience, self-control, and diligence, even when they would rather be playing outside – especially when they would rather be playing outside. . . .” See http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/the-benefits-of-character-education/275585/.
Character education is happily no longer the exclusive purview of U.S. private schools. With concerns over bullying growing more pervasive, public schools are stepping in to educate their students on the importance of treating one another with integrity and making positive decisions that can impact them the rest of their lives. Character education can prove essential in poverty-stricken schools. There are various free programs that even the poorest of schools can utilize in their educational plans. Goodcharacter.com provides numerous teaching guides including, for example, one on controlling anger (it also offers educational items for purchase). It offers tips that teachers can use to help children learn how to control their own emotion, provides discussion questions for classrooms, and suggests student activities to help children learn how to utilize relaxation exercises. See http://www.goodcharacter.com/GROARK/Anger.html.
The Mission Hill K-8 School is a Boston public pilot school where many of the children receive free and reduced cost lunch. Despite the surrounding poverty, Mission Hill has a philosophy that every child has value. The mission of the school is to “help parents raise youngsters who will maintain and nurture the best habits of a democratic society be smart, caring, strong, resilient, imaginative and thoughtful.” See http://www.missionhillschool.org/about-2/about/. The school utilizes “Habits of Mind & Work” to incorporate its values into the daily lives of its students. Teachers encourage students to ask themselves questions of both “Mind & Work” to help produce thoughtful, engaged “well-educated” people. See http://www.missionhillschool.org/classroom/habits-of-mind/.
Schools reap the rewards of implementing value-based education. According to an article in Education Week, there is increasing evidence that there is an appreciable positive change in students when values are incorporated into a school’s curriculum. According to the article, a 2011 meta-analysis of school-based emotional and social developmental programs found notable, positive increases in students’ academic achievement, as well as their attitude and behavior. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/02/27/22character.h32.html?tkn=NVWFPVyFHxMg4LQYLpYXfKVs%2FE2rPWz49k7i&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2.
In addition, supporting a child in their moral edification doesn’t just help the child succeed in school. As a child grows into adulthood, these essential lessons on showing respect and compassion can help a young person in their career. Emotional intelligence is critical to an adult’s success in his or her career. See, e.g., http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/01/09/emotional-intelligence/. “Playing well” with others can translate into promotions and long-term career goals achieved.
I want my children to know that being a good person doesn’t just happen at home. It’s a way of living. When a school can help support that philosophy, and teachers and families work together to forward this understanding, we are in a better position to achieve this goal. Surrounded by character education in their daily lives, it is easy for kids to be good, to resist wrongdoing, and ultimately to make great choices on their own.
“Don’t forget to say please!” I say for what feels like the thousandth time that day. I am trying to instill good manners in my children, and I think I have repeated that phrase a million times in the last eight years. I may or may not be exaggerating. The world is complicated and busy, but really taking the time to appreciate what others are doing, using kind words, and making good choices concerning the people around us are important to me. Really important. My husband and I have told our children countless times that people remember kindnesses. It feels good to be nice. It’s easy to be good. But our kids aren’t with us all the time. As they get older, they are spending an increasing amount of time with their teachers and their peers, so their values impact my children directly. To the extent it’s still in our control, we want our kids surrounded by people who place importance on treating other people with respect and kindness.
In a world where stories of bullying inundate our newsfeeds and where innovative types of media pop up every day that make it easier for people to say cruel things to one another anonymously, our hope to raise caring, sensitive adults feels small and powerless. It would feel practically futile except we are not alone. There are millions of parents out there who want their children to care in a meaningful way about the world and people around them. Although many of these parents look to religious schools and places of worship to help promote these principles, my family, like many others, is largely a secular one. Because of this, it’s essential that my children’s school value character education as much as we do because much of our children’s waking lives are spent there. When teachers and school administrators help to create a “whole child,” children can gain new perspective on what it means to be a good person, a real contributor to our world.
This concept of school-based character development is not new. In fact, most pre-schools focus much of their time “socializing” their students. Teaching children to use their words, to be kind to one another, to not strike or tease one another is part of learning how to thrive in our society and grow as a person. Unfortunately, as children grow older, exposure to emotional education can decrease. As elementary schools prioritize academics over socialization, these important life skills can be marginalized within a school setting.
This is not always the case, however. In a refreshing trend, this idea of creating an educational environment where children learn how to treat other people is now extending itself beyond the pre-school setting and becoming more pervasive in private schools around the country.
At the prestigious Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, the school incorporates character education into the fabric of its education. As indicated in their on-line brochure:
Nothing is more important to us than building character. The entire Brunswick community is committed to instilling in our boys, by example and through experience, the qualities all true gentlemen possess — qualities that will make them respectful, courageous, honest, and honorable sons, friends, leaders, and citizens.
http://admissions.brunswickschool.org.
How is this character education incorporated into a school’s curriculum? At the academically rigorous Hackley School in Westchester, New York, the following phrase is etched into one of its stone arched entrances:
“Enter Here to Be and Find a Friend”
This unofficial motto is a cornerstone of Hackley’s core values. To reinforce the meaning behind the message, Hackley’s Lower School has instituted a virtue of the month, including traits like Patience, Appreciation, and Responsibility. There is a teacher resource guide for such virtues, which includes suggested classroom activities, classroom readings, and even ideas for parental involvement. Through these activities and a culture that promotes the importance of character, teachers can encourage students to appreciate and implement this valued behavior in their interactions with one another on a daily basis. It is through this integration of values into its classrooms that Hackley creates an “even better, safer, kinder, and more supportive school environment for our students, our staff, and our community.” http://www.hackleyschool.org/Page/Student-Life/Lower-School/Character-Education—LS.
It’s not just the schools and parents that value character education. Teachers at schools that emphasize character education appreciate the impact that it can have on its students. Jessica Lahey, a writer and teacher at the Crossroads Academy in Lyme, Connecticut, writes enthusiastically about what character education means to her:
“I have come to understand what real character education looks like and what it can do for children. . . . Schools that teach character education report higher academic performance, improved attendance, reduced violence, fewer disciplinary issues, reduction in substance abuse, and less vandalism. . . . From a practical perspective, it’s simply easier to teach children who can exercise patience, self-control, and diligence, even when they would rather be playing outside – especially when they would rather be playing outside. . . .” See http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/the-benefits-of-character-education/275585/.
Character education is happily no longer the exclusive purview of U.S. private schools. With concerns over bullying growing more pervasive, public schools are stepping in to educate their students on the importance of treating one another with integrity and making positive decisions that can impact them the rest of their lives. Character education can prove essential in poverty-stricken schools. There are various free programs that even the poorest of schools can utilize in their educational plans. Goodcharacter.com provides numerous teaching guides including, for example, one on controlling anger (it also offers educational items for purchase). It offers tips that teachers can use to help children learn how to control their own emotion, provides discussion questions for classrooms, and suggests student activities to help children learn how to utilize relaxation exercises. See http://www.goodcharacter.com/GROARK/Anger.html.
The Mission Hill K-8 School is a Boston public pilot school where many of the children receive free and reduced cost lunch. Despite the surrounding poverty, Mission Hill has a philosophy that every child has value. The mission of the school is to “help parents raise youngsters who will maintain and nurture the best habits of a democratic society be smart, caring, strong, resilient, imaginative and thoughtful.” See http://www.missionhillschool.org/about-2/about/. The school utilizes “Habits of Mind & Work” to incorporate its values into the daily lives of its students. Teachers encourage students to ask themselves questions of both “Mind & Work” to help produce thoughtful, engaged “well-educated” people. See http://www.missionhillschool.org/classroom/habits-of-mind/.
Schools reap the rewards of implementing value-based education. According to an article in Education Week, there is increasing evidence that there is an appreciable positive change in students when values are incorporated into a school’s curriculum. According to the article, a 2011 meta-analysis of school-based emotional and social developmental programs found notable, positive increases in students’ academic achievement, as well as their attitude and behavior. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/02/27/22character.h32.html?tkn=NVWFPVyFHxMg4LQYLpYXfKVs%2FE2rPWz49k7i&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2.
In addition, supporting a child in their moral edification doesn’t just help the child succeed in school. As a child grows into adulthood, these essential lessons on showing respect and compassion can help a young person in their career. Emotional intelligence is critical to an adult’s success in his or her career. See, e.g., http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/01/09/emotional-intelligence/. “Playing well” with others can translate into promotions and long-term career goals achieved.
I want my children to know that being a good person doesn’t just happen at home. It’s a way of living. When a school can help support that philosophy, and teachers and families work together to forward this understanding, we are in a better position to achieve this goal. Surrounded by character education in their daily lives, it is easy for kids to be good, to resist wrongdoing, and ultimately to make great choices on their own.