School Trying Character Education on For Size

The role of the school is changing today. The school now must realize its role in character development. â€Å"Schools must recognize that they cannot accomplish the academic aspect of their mission if they do not attend to the needs of the whole child, and that the pursuit of a narrow academic missions alone is simply no longer sufficient†. This sentence should be a wake up call to schools today. We as teachers must understand that it is now becoming our job to develop the character of the children we teach. The character development of the child is not as strong as it once was. There are so many problems that kids are facing now. Children are now engaging in high-risk behaviors. These behaviors include alcohol, drugs, tobacco use, and violence. Children are not being taught at home the destruction that these things cause. Researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and business leaders are the ones addressing this lack of a full range of development in today†s youth. They feel that character development is as important to effective schooling as reading, math, science, or social studies. The youth will become active members of family, school community, and society as a whole. This development of character will also help them to more willingly take part in their education. Several things should be taken into consideration when we think about teaching character development. First off, we as educators must first understand what are role is and what is the purpose of schools today. Also, we have to know the students we teach. Knowing a student's home life should give us a better understanding of the type of character development they get from home. Then we must understand what to teach to help develop their character. How do we teach is the next thing we must look at How can we make this meaningful for the students, in and out of school. We need to make sure our staff is ready to teach. Finally, we need to find out where to teach. These questions are a guide for setting up a character development program. Character education helps its participants have more productive lives. It teaches the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Character education teaches self-discipline, responsible decision making, respect for others, and a lot more qualities that help people to have healthy relationships and productive lives. When implementing a character education program, you need to follow some basic steps. Talk to the community, law enforcement, and teachers to find out some of the more dangerous problems that effect that community. Give schools the opportunity to find funds to implement a program, from business or industry. Help schools to find a model of character development from which they can get ideas and have an avenue to get questions answered.