An Open Letter to President Bush
Dear President Bush:
You will soon proclaim October 21 to 27, 2007 as National Character Counts Week. That proclamation usually comes in mid-October. Every president, including you, has been doing so since 1994, and setting aside one week for a focus on character seems to be a worthy idea.
However, […]
Schools in the United States and other developed countries have been teaching character for some years now. At least they say they have. Teachers have learned to tell students that character counts. They are right. Character counts. The question is, does character education count?
Character counts, but does character education count when it is “outsourced” to […]
Here we sit, barely into summer in the northern hemisphere, and I’m talking about an October event? You’ve made vacation plans. You’ve arranged family activities for the whole summer. You’re glad school is out for a few months, and the last thing you want to consider is October. You may be shouting at me, “Get […]
… or WYSIWYG Relationships
What kind of relationships do you have? Stop for a moment and think about them. You have family relationships – children, siblings, parents, and extended family. You may have a marriage or dating relationship. You have neighborhood relationships, even if your neighbors aren’t really friends. You have relationships at work, where you […]
Character counts safety among the benefits it offers us, but it’s often hard to convince people of that fact. If you mention it, you’re likely to get a raised eyebrow or two as they ask you, “How can character building keep you safer?”
I just ran across a story that illustrates perfectly how the building […]
Character counts in homeschooling, and counts more than most other subjects you will teach your children. Character brings results in vital areas of life that remain untouched by the usual courses of study.
Reading is often rated the most important part of the curriculum. It is true that reading skills will help your son or daughter […]
Character counts across the curriculum, yet many teachers are saying, “It counts, but how do you find time to teach it?” The curriculum is just too full; they are just too busy; and it’s a challenge to find time for character education. They want to marginalize character.
I personally believe character education is vital to society, […]
My brother is dying in a Canadian hospital. He is not an old man. He just retired from a life as professor of music at a large Canadian university. He was industriously composing more music to add to the large library of compositions he had already written. None of his four children is married. He […]
You knew that, of course. Character counts every day of every month, but character counts in a special way as we enter March.
For our friends in the southern hemisphere, March marks the beginning of the autumn season. For those in the northern hemisphere, March brings the spring season. Either way, change is coming, and changes […]
I like to stay in touch with friends I made in New Zealand during my terms as school principal there, and this sometimes brings news of interesting changes. One of these changes appeared in the “Wairarapa Times-Age” newspaper on February 23.
Wairarapa College, a secondary school on New Zealand’s North Island, put out a warning recently […]