14 Jan
Can we teach character in 45 minutes monthly?
Posted in General, Organization, Students, Teacher Frustration on 14.01.10
For decades Georgia has required public schools to teach character traits. Each month spotlights a trait: respect, responsibility, citizenship, compassion, resilience, diversity, commitment, and integrity.
Who can argue with such a plan?
Teaching and emphasizing strength of character is a noble goal, and literature is the perfect platform for discussions about valuable character traits. Any English teacher discussing Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird certainly touches on each of the character traits Georgia emphasizes.
History teachers discussing the founding of America, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and other important historical events also teach and emphasize character.
Is it possible to teach science without emphasizing respect, resilience, responsibility?
Is it possible to teach foreign language, or physical education, or mathematics or any other school subject without addressing character traits that we want students to develop?
As with so many things in education, we often let other interests sidetrack our goals, and too often our decisions are not based on what is best for students. Instead of allowing teachers to emphasize character traits naturally as they teach their subjects, my school, along with a few others in my district, changed the process a few years ago.
For 45 minutes one day each month, high school students attend a Character Education lesson. They return to their homerooms and are instructed in the “Word of the Month.” Imagine pulling sixteen year olds into a classroom and saying, “Today we are going to learn about responsibility,” or “This month’s word is ‘compassion.’ Now, who can define ‘compassion’?”
Students complain that the program is silly.
Teacher complain that the program is unproductive.
In fact, students and teachers have complained and suggested improvements FOR YEARS!
No assessment of the program has ever been conducted, and most teachers simply go through the motions of teaching a character education lesson each month, believing this is the way it is going to be regardless of what they think.
On Tuesday we taught RESILIENCE, a fitting word for teachers and students who gather each month and go through the motions of learning character in such an unnatural setting.
Like too many things in education, this unproductive and inane activity doesn’t have to be this way. Teachers could indeed restructure the program and make it meaningful for students, but things won’t change because we have “taught” character this way for over 15 years. It’s the only method that most teachers, students, and administrators know.
Unfortunately, we all know the mantra: “This is the way we have always done it.” Sometimes routine appears more important than success.
Maybe one month we can add a new character word: effectiveness!
