Many teachers are looking for character education lesson plans. Teaching character education is not their choice and they lack interest; they lack time; or perhaps they simply don’t know where to begin. Whatever the reason, they don’t want to prepare their own, so they search the Internet for ready-made character education lesson plans. They reach […]
As we began the new year last week, I had occasion to read several things on the Internet about teaching tolerance to children and teenagers. Most educators and those teaching character lean toward teaching tolerance as acceptance – of nearly everything.
The exercise of tolerance, educators and coaches tell us, involves acceptance of other people’s individual […]
Anti-bullying campaigns are beginning to spring up in schools across the U.S. There may be a similar campaign in your nation’s schools. Call them campaigns, initiatives, or programs, the aim is to curb bullying before it digs in its heels and takes root in a school. Usually, students in elementary schools are targeted. The hope […]
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, […]
Character education attacks bullying by providing convincing, clear teaching on compassion. Compassion is sometimes referred to as “caring” in character education circles. While there may be actual differences in meaning, the teaching of either can do much to eradicate bullying.
Caring is a word that most children and teens readily understand on a basic level. It […]
Character education attacks bullying with forceful, clear teaching on authentic responsibility. Responsibility is not a difficult character trait. That is, it is not difficult to understand the meaning of responsibility. It is another matter entirely to accept and fulfill responsibility.
Character education attacks bullying when that education models responsibility, defines it clearly and completely, and helps […]
Character education attacks bullying with total immersion in the concept of authentic respect for others. Respect is seen in those who: know that others have value; and always show that they value others appropriately.
Character education attacks bullying by helping young people understand and embrace this vital quality, putting it into practice consistently.
If you tell the […]
Character education attacks bullying - and character educators know that they can make an enormous difference by attacking bullying with character. They don’t tell the students that. They simply teach character with every ounce of strength they have, and let the character building effort attack bullying.
Character education attacks bullying by immersing all students totally in […]
Character education attacks bullying. Why? Isn’t bullying just a part of growing up? Don’t you remember when you were a bully – or the victim of a bully? Bullying is commonplace. In the United States alone, statistics tell us that 16 percent of students are involved in bullying. Of that proportion, nine percent are victims […]
A lack of character results in bullying in elementary school. School personnel should know this, but many do not. That’s one reason bullying continues in spite of common character education efforts.
Character education, in many schools, is a matter of glossing over general meanings, having a skit or other activity, and moving on to science and […]